


Keep Him Safe

by mightypocketcow



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Aberforth Dumbledore's Goats, Albus Dumbledore Bashing, Albus Dumbledore Being an Idiot, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bad Albus Dumbledore, Bisexual Gellert Grindelwald, Dad Sirius, Dursley Family Bashing (Harry Potter), Good Dudley Dursley, Good Gellert Grindelwald, Good Petunia Evans Dursley, Magical Dudley Dursley, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Minor Weasley Bashing, Misguided Albus Dumbledore, Overprotective Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew Bashing, Peter Pettigrew is a Little Shit, Pureblood Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black Free from Azkaban, Sirius Black Never Went to Azkaban, This fic is going places, harry doesn't go to the dursleys, peter pettigrew goes to azkaban, yall are in for a ride stick around
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:28:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 31,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27630742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mightypocketcow/pseuds/mightypocketcow
Summary: Sirius manages to convince Hagrid that he can, and will, and should, take Harry instead of sending him to the horrid Dursleys.  He really doesn't know anything about kids, so he takes Harry to the Longbottoms for help.  Over the years, more and more help is there for Sirius when he needs it, for which he is grateful.  But not, of course, from Albus Dumbledore, who is still furious at Sirius for going against his wishes...
Relationships: Alice Longbottom/Frank Longbottom, Luna Lovegood/Harry Potter, Sirius Black/Marlene McKinnon
Comments: 81
Kudos: 418





	1. My Boy

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys gals and non-binary pals! Let me know what you think of this AU, it was a joint idea effort from myself and my partner.

“Sirius? What’re you doin’ here?” Hagrid asked as he stood up to his full height among the rubble, with Harry in his arms. He’d never been able to stand up full height in the Potter’s cottage before, but with the roof being almost completely gone, it was no longer an issue.

“Hagrid…” Sirius replied in a dead voice, not noticing the baby. “James and Lily…”

Hagrid shook his head, his eyes filled with tears threatening to spill. “I didn’ see them. I think they--”

Sirius interrupts him with a scream of pain, falling to his knees and clutching at his own hair. “No! No, they can’t be gone! How did... how could he do this?” 

“You-Know-Who killed a lot o’ people. He did it plenty o’ times.”

“Not him… _Peter_.” He spat the name out like venom, and threw his fists on the ground, sinking lower. “I’ll kill him. I’ll kill that little rat bastard.”

“Wha? Pe’igrew? Wha’s he got to do with James an’ Lily?”

“He was their Secret Keeper, Hagrid… Everyone thought it would be me, so Dumbledore suggested we use Peter… How could we have been so stupid?”

“Secret Keeper? Why were they so deep in hidin’? Not even Dumbledore is usin’ one of those.”

“There…” Sirius took a deep breath, before remembering what James once told him about the Half-Giant. _Hagrid has such a pure soul, from so many years of torment, that there’s no way he can ever betray the loyalty of his friends. I don’t see it being in his blood, Sirius. If there’s anybody we can always trust, it wouldn’t be Dumbledore or even Mad-Eye. It would be Hagrid._

Sirius sighed, his soul feeling like a weight inside his ribcage thinking about James. “There was some kind of prophecy… I didn’t understand most of it, but it had something to do with taking down He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. It had to do with a child, a child with unimaginable power, born at the end of July. It could have been Neville Longbottom, but somehow You-Know-Who chose Harry to be--- oh, Merlin, Harry…” Sirius breaks down again, almost entirely on the floor now.

Hagrid, not quite understanding the implications of what Sirius was telling him, simply held out his arms. “Harry’s righ’ here, Sirius.”

Sirius looked up, his face red and swollen from crying. “H-Harry?” He hiccups, standing up slowly.

He glanced at the sleeping one-year-old being presented to him, in the Half-Giant’s arms, and for the first time since he felt – in his _soul_ – James’ death, he smiled. He asked, silently, with a gesture of his own arms, to hold him. Hagrid handed over the baby without hesitation.

“I don’ understand the prophecy thing, Sirius. All I get is somethin’ about a child with power. Are you sayin’ that Harry killed You-Know-Who?”

“I don’t know, Hagrid.” Sirius sighed, and placed a kiss on Harry’s forehead, failing to notice the scar in the dark. “I’m just happy he’s safe.”

“Well, Professor Dumbledore wan’s me to take him over to Surrey… Somethin’ about his aunt an’ uncle, Lily’s sister and brother-in-law.”

“What?!” Sirius yelled, then suddenly remembered he had a sleeping child in his arms, who was stirring at the sound of his “Uncle Padfoot”. “He wants them with those monsters?”

“They may be Muggles, Sirius, but I don’ think tha’ makes them monsters.” Hagrid frowned.

“No, Hagrid, you don’t understand. They’re monsters. Lily’s sister used to torment her for having magic, and she said they’ve never changed. Apparently, her husband is even worse. There’s no way they won’t abuse him, Hagrid. You can’t let Dumbledore do this.”

“Abuse him?” Hagrid looked horribly angry. “There’s no way Professor Dumbledore would let him be in a home like tha’… I don’ think he would ever put Harry in harm’s way like tha’, Sirius.”

“And yet here he is, trying to let those monsters take my boy.” Sirius pulls Harry closer to him, resting the boy’s head on his shoulder. “You’re not bringing him to Dumbledore if that’s his plan.”

“I…” Hagrid faltered. He almost wanted to take the child by force – he did, of course, need to follow what Dumbledore asked of him, but something stopped him. Maybe it was the fact that he now remembered, vaguely, an eleven-year-old Lily coming to his hut crying about how much she wished she wasn’t a witch because her sister hates her. Maybe it was the fact that Sirius looked more angry and hurt about this idea than Hagrid had seen him since he heard, mid-Order meeting, about the death of Regulus. 

Or maybe it was seeing Harry’s reaction to being on Sirius’ shoulder. Even unconscious, baby Harry recognized the scent and feel of his godfather, and curled a little fist on Sirius’ shirt, snuggling into his neck, cooing in his sleep.

“I don’ know what to do, Sirius.” Hagrid’s resolve broke, and he looked down at his feet. “I wan’ Harry to be safe, an’ I trust Professor Dumbledore, but this feels wrong.”

“I’ll take him.”

Hagrid looked up at him, and Sirius’ face, even though it was looking at Harry, betrayed the emotions he had every right to feel; defeat, anger, brokenness, betrayal, loss, but also determination, adoration, love. He ruffled the untidy hair of the baby in his arms before looking directly at Hagrid. 

“I’ll take him. I’ll bring him to the Longbottom’s. They can help me keep him safe…” He let out a forced laugh. “Hell, I guess they’ll help me raise him too. I don’t know a damn thing about children.”

“Are you sure you wan’ to do this, Sirius? We migh’ be able to ask Professor Dumbledore for another plan.”

“When has Albus Dumbledore ever changed his mind on something without someone intervening and throwing off his plans, Hagrid?” Sirius’ tone was suddenly colder than it had been. “I don’t think he’d change his mind unless Frank and Alice and I made him change his mind. I think this has to be done.”

Hagrid stayed silent for a moment, thinking. 

“I can’t let him put Harry with those damned Muggles, Hagrid. I just can’t. We can’t. You have to let me take him to Frank and Alice and Augusta. You know those three can protect him even better than hiding him in the Muggle world can.”

Hagrid finally nodded. “Alrigh’. But you have to explain to Professor Dumbledore why I have to go back to Surrey withou’ Harry.”

“Send him to Longbottom Manor, then. He’ll deal with us there.” Suddenly Sirius reached into his pocket with his free hand and tossed Hagrid a set of keys. “You can take my motorcycle. I can’t possibly use it anymore, not without James.” His voice broke, but Hagrid only nodded.

“Thanks, Sirius. Will it hold me?”

Sirius had a short, genuine laugh that sounded like a dog barking playfully. “You have no idea the weight that this motorbike has seen. It’ll hold you, Hagrid, don’t worry.”

“Alrigh’, I trus’ you.” Hagrid stumbled down to where Sirius’ motorcycle is parked and hesitantly swung a leg over it. When it held steady, he put his full weight on it, and put the keys in the ignition.

Sirius, standing nearby with Harry still sleeping in his arms, called out to Hagrid. “I’ll apparate to the Longbottom Manor now. I’ll be there by the time you make it back to Surrey.”

* * *

Neville really enjoyed playing with the Halloween decorations that Frank loved to put in the porch every year, so it was unsurprising to Sirius that when he got to Longbottom Manor, Augusta was sitting outside with him. 

“Sirius? Is that you, my boy?” She called out, standing up from her chair and scooping up Neville in one swift move that really should have been slower for a witch her age.

“Augusta, I need your help. Where are Frank and Alice?”

“They’re asleep, of course. It’s one o’clock in the morning after all.” 

Sirius could tell Augusta was a bit annoyed at the late-night visit, and he felt a bit bad at first.

Then she got a closer look at Sirius’ face as he passed through the wards, and noticed him carrying a disheveled-looking baby Harry. She knew then that something dreadful must have happened, and that of course Sirius Orion Black, bless him, would never try to disturb someone in the middle of the night unless it was an emergency. She dropped her annoyed tone and became more of the ‘Mama Longbottom’ Sirius had come to appreciate since the loss of James’ parents. “Come on in, my boy. The fireplace is going and it’s warm in here. You two must be freezing. Harry and Neville can have a little snack, and we can wake Frank and Alice to talk.”

Sirius nodded, and he followed Augusta into the sitting area, where the fireplace reminded him that he was indeed cold. 

“Neville had been fussy all day, you see. I didn’t want Frank and Alice to lose any more sleep than they have been, with all that worrying and working they have been doing. So when he got up around half-past twelve, I got up with him and told Alice to go back to sleep. I thought he might want some fresh air.” Augusta sat a now-sleepy Neville down on the couch as she spoke. 

She turned to Sirius and opened her arms to take Harry. Instead of handing him over, however, he instinctively pulled Harry closer to himself and burst into tears.

Augusta swept Sirius into a hug, trying not to wake the baby in the process, and rubbed his back soothingly. Obviously, this was way worse than she anticipated. She figured something was very wrong since Sirius had Harry and there was no sign of James or Lily. But most of all, Sirius hated to cry in front of people. She had only ever seen the boy cry once, and that was when, in the middle of an Order meeting, he learned of the death of his brother Regulus. He didn’t even have the energy to get up and leave, he just started sobbing on James’ shoulder and most other people excused themselves for a break.

After a few minutes of soothing, Augusta loosened her hug, and carefully took Harry out of Sirius’ arms. The baby stirred, and his eyes opened. 

It was at this point that Sirius noticed the scar across his forehead, and so did Augusta.

“Sirius… what happened?” Augusta asked in a pained voice, brushing Harry’s untidy hair out of his eyes as the boy smiled at her.

“I… I think we should wake up Frank and Alice first.” Sirius responded as he took Harry back, who immediately squealed in delight and started grabbing at Sirius’ hair. “I’ll watch the boys if you can go get them.”

She nodded, and she went to the stairs, pausing only to silently look at Sirius, sitting on the couch with Harry climbing on his lap and Neville joining him, and wonder forlornly if any of their lives will ever be the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Be safe and healthy, and have a great day!


	2. My Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A much shorter chapter, in which Sirius discusses his opinions with the Longbottoms.

“I swear on Merlin’s left testicle I’m going to murder Peter Pettigrew myself.” Alice growled darkly, and Frank put a hand on her arm as she continued. “That little bastard doesn’t deserve to be alive anymore.”

“Alice, dear, we’ll get that part sorted out soon enough.” Augusta assured her. “We just need to make sure we keep Neville and Harry safe until we know for sure what happened to You-Know-Who and his followers. I don’t doubt they’d come here looking for answers at some point.”

Frank nodded solemnly. “Not to mention Dumbledore. He’s going to be furious when he finds out you’ve taken Harry, Sirius.”

Sirius looked up and made eye contact for the first time since he began recounting the story, still clutching onto the once again sleeping Harry like a lifeline as Neville now slept on his father’s lap. “I can’t let him bring Harry to Lily’s sister. You have to understand, Frank, they’re monsters. They’d hurt Harry.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Alice said, her anger still very clear on her face. “Lily has told me stories about her childhood with her sister after they found out she could do magic. The things that girl did to Lily… I can’t imagine how they would treat Harry, especially since they also hated James.”

“I won’t allow it.” Augusta shook her head, staring directly at Harry. “Dumbledore will take that boy away from us over my dead body.”

“James always said that if something happened to him and Sirius, that he wanted us to look after Lily and Harry.” Frank agreed, stroking his son’s hair absentmindedly. 

“James and Lily were family.” Augusta continued. “And Merlin knows what happens when you try to split a Longbottom from their family.”

Sirius and Frank both let out a laugh at that, and even Alice, who was still fuming, managed a chuckle.

“I remember Grandad telling me what happened when old Grindelwald supporters cornered him in London and tried to prevent him from getting home for the birth of his first grandchild.” Frank grinned. “I almost felt bad for them hearing that story. Almost.”

“And the same blood flows in me, and in you, and in Neville.” Augusta smiled proudly. “I’d like to see anybody, even the great Albus Dumbledore, try to take our family away from us.”

“Speaking of which…” Frank murmured as he felt a breach in his wards, handing Neville to Alice and standing up. “I think he’s here. Sirius, Mum, care to join me outside?”

Sirius laid Harry down on the couch next to Alice, and gave him a kiss on the forehead, right on his new scar, before following Frank and Augusta outside.

Wherever that scar came from, and how Harry was still alive, they could only guess so far. Perhaps Dumbledore would know. But it didn’t matter how much Dumbledore knew, only Sirius and the Longbottoms knew what was truly best for Harry. Sirius had to admit to himself, he trusted Augusta and her experience far more than Dumbledore. Dumbledore, especially lately, had become far too passive. A stun-only order against the Death Eaters was leading to deaths, most notably of Gideon and Fabian Prewett just a few years ago. Sirius had hoped that would change his mind, but Dumbledore kept insisting on the need to give the Death Eaters ‘second chances’.

Well, thought Sirius as he laid eyes on the Hogwarts Headmaster and the uncharacteristically angry look on his face, screw second chances. And, right now, screw Dumbledore too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this one is so short, the next one will be longer, I promise! Thanks for reading! Be safe and healthy, and have a great day!


	3. Our Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dumbledore is not pleased. And when Dumbledore is not pleased, things don't tend to end well.

“Professor Dumbledore,” Frank smiles with no emotion reaching his eyes. “How nice to see you—”

“Where is Harry Potter?” Dumbledore cut in harshly. 

“Harry is here, where he’s supposed to be.” Sirius replied, and Dumbledore’s gaze flashed even angrier for a moment as Sirius continued. “Hagrid told me you were going to send him over to Lily’s sister and brother-in-law. I won’t allow that, as Harry’s Godfather.”

“You won’t allow it?” Dumbledore said incredulously. “Sirius, I don’t recall needing your permission to do what is best for the Wizarding World, to work for the Greater Good.”

“Frankly, Professor, I don’t give a damn.” Sirius took a step forward, and the look on his face was so filled with rage that even Frank and Augusta were alarmed. “I don’t have a single bloody ounce of care to give about the rest of the Wizarding World anymore. I stopped caring when your idiotic second-chance ideology got Gideon and Fabian killed, and nearly offed Remus as well. And I certainly don’t care now. James and Lily are gone, Dumbledore, don’t you understand that?!” Sirius was shouting at the top of his voice by now, and was halfway between the Longbottoms and the Headmaster, whose face showed both shock and fury. “James is dead. Lily is dead. Harry nearly died too. We don’t know where You-Know-Who or his Death Eaters are, and they could be here any minute looking for him. There’s no way that I would ever –” Sirius was mere feet from Dumbledore, who was standing still and tall with the same angry shock on his face, and Sirius was nearly spitting on him. “ – ever let the last part of the only people I ever loved more than Regulus be taken away from me. Especially not to those monsters that Lily had the misfortune to call blood relations.”

Dumbledore was silent, unblinking. Neither he nor Sirius made any movement, nothing beyond Dumbledore’s slow breaths and Sirius’ heaving ones. Their fierce eye contact only broke after several minutes when Dumbledore closed his blue eyes, shutting out the gaze of Sirius’ angry bloodshot brown ones. 

“Sirius…” Dumbledore began, his eyes still closed. “I know you are angry, but you cannot just take Harry away from the protection that being with Petunia and Vernon Dursley will provide him – ”

“What protection?!” Sirius screamed, still merely inches from Dumbledore’s face, and the Headmaster’s eyes shot back open. “What protection could those pieces of Muggle rubbish possibly give Harry that we couldn’t?!”

“A blood protection, from Lily’s sacrifice.”

Sirius stood still, aside from his continually heaving breaths, as Dumbledore attempted to explain his theory about how since Lily’s blood runs through Petunia’s veins, then Lily’s love sacrifice for Harry would offer protection as long as Petunia accepted him into her home.

At that, both Frank and Sirius let out laughs that caused Dumbledore to balk in surprise. “What?” He looked at the two men

“You really think Petunia would accept Harry into her home? Sure, she may allow him to live in her house, but that would never be his home.” Frank scoffed. “Lily has – had – told Alice and I many stories of Petunia’s hatred towards magical folk.”

“It’s the only way the blood protection would work, Frank. Lily has no other living relatives.”

“I’m sure we could find somebody somewhere who is related to Lily Potter that isn’t Petunia.” Sirius shook his head in disbelief, still grinning. “Merlin, Frank, could you imagine? Petunia – that magic-hating filth – taking our boy?”

“Your boy?” Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

Sirius’ grin dropped into a murderous glare, and he whipped out his wand without thinking and pointed it directly into Dumbledore’s chest, despite the yells from Augusta and Frank. “I’d rather go to Azkaban for murder than allow anybody to take my boy away from me.”

Dumbledore didn’t even flinch as the tip of Sirius’ wand felt hot with his anger against his brand-new midnight blue robes – the slight damage of which bothered him more than the fact that Sirius was basically threatening his life. “Sirius –” He began in a harsh tone.

“No, Dumbledore. You are not taking Harry. He’s staying here with me, and Augusta, and Frank, and Alice, and Neville, and he’s going to grow up surrounded by love and magic instead of by hatred and abuse.” Sirius’ bloodshot eyes betrayed every ounce of fury he had in him, and for the first time in the entire conversation, Dumbledore was almost afraid.

Almost.

“I don’t think you can stop me.” Dumbledore pulled out his own wand as he spoke, and pointed it at Sirius without touching him. “I wouldn’t try it if I were you.”

“And if I were you, Albus Dumbledore, I would put that wand away.”

Dumbledore looked toward the speaker and was shocked to see Augusta Longbottom suddenly merely feet away from him, pointing her wand directly at his face with the most outraged, protective facial expression that an old witch could ever wear. He glanced over her shoulder at Frank, who was also pointing his wand at Dumbledore with an expression that greatly resembled his mother’s. 

Before he could say anything to them, Dumbledore heard the sound of a door slamming, and saw Alice dashing towards them with her own wand drawn, stopping only to stand beside her husband and dawn a far more terrifying appearance and stance than both Frank and Augusta put together – mainly, of course, because nobody outside her closest friends ever really saw Alice angry.

Dumbledore looked back at Sirius, whose expression had not faltered. Even he, the all-powerful light wizard Albus Dumbledore, knew when it was more advantageous to back down from a fight than to engage, even if the results of the fight would greatly benefit the Wizarding World as a whole.

“This can’t be over, Sirius.” Dumbledore responded calmly, lowering his wand. “Harry needs protection.”

“And you believe we can’t provide it?” Augusta spat in anger.

“Of course I believe you can, Augusta.” Dumbledore smiled sweetly at her, but it was so obviously fake that Augusta wanted to wipe it off his face without a wand. “I have faith in you and your son, and Alice of course. I just think –”

“You think leaving Harry without his Godfather, his mother’s best friend, and the most powerful duelling witch of her generation is safer just because of some theory about blood wards?” Sirius cocked his head to the side like a curious dog, only his anger never faltered. “I beg to differ.”

Dumbledore cursed internally. There was no way he was going to be able to leave Longbottom Manor with Harry; clearly, not without taking down the Longbottoms and Sirius, and then where would he be? He could always blame it on the Death Eaters, but he doubted he could get away with it.

“Alright, Sirius. I suppose we shall have to see whether or not the fate of the Wizarding World is worth you keeping your pride intact.” Dumbledore turned away from Sirius and began walking towards the edge of the wards.

“My pride?!” Sirius barked, and he took a step to follow Dumbledore before Augusta reached out and grabbed his arm. “You think this is about my pride?!” He yelled again towards Dumbledore’s retreating figure.

“Let him go for now, Sirius.” She muttered to him. “He’s just too afraid to admit it’s his pride at stake, not yours.”

Dumbledore stepped outside the wards, feeling the glares of two powerful wizards and two powerful witches at his back. He sighed to himself, and stood there silently for a few minutes, wondering how he was going to get Harry away from Longbottom Manor. Just before he was about to leave, he noticed some figures approaching. 

Immediately recognizing them as Death Eaters, he almost drew his wand to fight them off before realizing that it was better if he didn’t.

If Death Eaters took down the Longbottoms and Sirius, and then he – Dumbledore – swooped in to save Harry, then that would not only get rid of those obstacles but paint Dumbledore as more of a hero.

Instead, he apparated just outside of their eyesight, watching and waiting for the perfect time to return into the Manor’s wards.

As he saw who he recognized as the Lestranges lead the charge in attempting to take down the wards, he almost felt bad for what he was doing – the Lestranges, especially Bellatrix, were known to be ruthless, torturous, and completely merciless.

But then again… the people standing between Dumbledore and the Greater Good always needed to come down, at any cost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told you this one would be longer! I hope you like it, please let me know what you think! Thanks for reading! Be safe and healthy, and have a great day!


	4. Protect Them

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frank, Augusta and Sirius need to be ready for when the Death Eaters attack. And they need to have a plan.

As soon as Dumbledore stepped outside the wards, Augusta let go of Sirius’ arm, and the man sunk to his knees. “Merlin, that was exhausting.” He muttered.

“We did the right thing.” Frank said out loud, and Alice nodded.

“I can’t believe everything that’s happened over the last few hours…” Augusta sighed. “James and Lily are gone, and You-Know-Who might actually be gone too if Dumbledore is to be believed.”

“I don’t know whether or not to trust him.” Sirius admitted. “I think he’s right about most of what he said, but that blood protection thing seems a bit of a stretch to me.” He shook his head. “All we know for certain is that Harry is alive, and James and Lily…” His voice broke, and he began to cry once again.

Nobody said anything, but Alice approached Sirius and crouched beside him, rubbing his back in much the same way Augusta did not even two hours prior.

With Frank’s guard up because of Dumbledore’s antics, he noticed immediately when the Headmaster apparated away, and breathed a sigh of relief to himself. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be too much trouble –

Oh, Merlin’s balls.

“Mum…” Frank said cautiously, not taking his eyes away from what he’d just spotted. “Do you see that?”

Augusta looked towards where Frank nodded his head, and saw the same thing: a crowd of people exuding an incredibly angry aura, all clothed in black. “Alice.” The old witch said in a commanding voice. “Go back inside. Get Neville and Harry and go to the cellar.”

Sirius and Alice looked at each other in fright before looking towards the incoming group.

Alice swiftly disappeared back into the house, and Sirius had his wand drawn before Frank could even say anything.

“Sirius,” Frank started. “If this is the end—”

“Don’t, Frank.” Sirius replied darkly. “I lost James and Lily tonight. I won’t lose the rest of my family too.”

Overhearing his declaration of them as family – something he’d never done out loud before – made Augusta want to swoop him into a hug again. Merlin, she was so proud of her boys. Frank, Sirius, James, even Remus… all of them were her boys, and all made her a very proud Mum.

“We’ll get through this together, just like we always do.” Sirius continued. “I just wish we had James here too.”

“We’ll do it for him. For Lily. To protect Harry.”

“And Neville,” Sirius added. “Just because James and Lily are gone doesn’t make your son any less important.”

Frank smiled at him. “Of course.”

An attack on the wards drew Frank’s attention back to the Death Eaters not ten feet from him, and he raised his wand to point at them.

Right in front was Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius’ least favourite cousin. Honestly, he could not possibly hate a family member more than he hated Bellatrix, and he thought he hated his Mum more than anything. But after the emotional turmoil that she put Andromeda through when she married Ted, Sirius could never forgive her.

And right now, it looked like Bellatrix had something to hate him for eternity about, too.

She screeched something at him through the wards, but it was so muffled that all he heard was incoherent anger. He put a hand to his ear with a smirk, indicating that he heard nothing, and this infuriated Bellatrix even more.

Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange were also in the group, with their wands raised and their attacks on the ward being felt by both Frank and Augusta. He saw a boy that looked a lot like the son of the Head of the Department of Magical Law, Bartemius Crouch Senior – of that, he wasn’t certain, he was never close with the boy so would never even be able to pick him out of a crowd – was with them, which surprised him. Before he could react, he realized there was one other person. A man Frank recognized as being someone they went to Hogwarts with, by the name of Owen Oakwood. 

Oakwood was always a bit of a slimy bastard in a lot of ways, but nothing more so than his treatment of women. He was particularly nasty towards Gryffindor and Hufflepuff girls, especially the Half-Blood and Muggleborn ones, believing them to be below him as a Pureblood Slytherin. Despite her status as a Pureblood witch as well, Oakwood seemed to really enjoy tormenting and harassing Alice, especially once she became a Prefect. Oakwood never became a Prefect himself, but he liked to harass the Prefect girls.

Oakwood was expelled in his sixth year, due to an attempt to assault Alice in an empty classroom. Thankfully Alice had always been a powerful duellist and she had him incapacitated before Frank himself had found them. Many of the girls who Oakwood had tormented over the years came forward around that time to talk about their experiences, and were grateful to Alice for his expulsion, and humiliation at having been beaten in a duel by a fourth-year girl.

Frank doubted that Oakwood had ever forgotten about that, or forgiven Alice for it. In fact, he’d be willing to bet several galleons that Oakwood would have been the first to sign up for an attack on their home.

His thoughts were confirmed when he made eye contact with Oakwood, and Oakwood shot a malicious grin at Frank.

A jarringly strong jolt on the wards came upon them, that almost felt like it could never have come from the Death Eaters in front of him. Regardless, it tossed Frank out of his daze of anger, and he focused his attention back at the Lestrange brothers. He and Augusta both shot up spells of their own, attempting to keep up the wards, but Bellatrix, Oakwood and the Crouch boy all joined the Lestranges in their efforts, and the wards were failing faster than the two Longbottoms could put them back up.

Frank chanced a look at the house, where he saw through the window that Alice had both Harry and Neville in her arms and was summoning food from the cupboards into a basket, and she turned towards the window to look at him. A silent conversation was had, and she nodded at him in understanding. They looked at each other with all the love in the world, before the fleeting moment was over, and she was leading the boys to safety.

“Sirius,” Frank said urgently. “I need to admit something to you before we start this battle.”

“Frank, please don’t tell me you’re in love with me. Now is not the time.” Sirius cracked a smile.

Frank chuckled briefly. “I’m completely into women, sorry my friend. But I have an emergency plan I developed with Alice when Neville was born if things ever go very south during a duel. Mum knows it, and I need you to know it.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“If I think things are going badly and are not going to end without massive loss of life, I can do something drastic to hold them off. The plan was originally for Alice to take Neville and run, but now it is for you and Mum to take them all and run. If –”

“No, Frank. It’ll be up to your mother to take Alice and the boys. You’re not holding them off by yourself.” Sirius responded.

“Sirius, I’m an unregistered Animagus. I can hold them off on my own as a bear.” Frank admitted.

Sirius threw his head back in laughter. “Oh Merlin, what are the odds?”

Frank was shocked still, but only for a brief moment before continuing to fight against the ward attacks. “The odds?”

“James, Peter and I are all unregistered Animagi too. I’m essentially a Grim. I can hold them off with you.”

Frank grinned at Sirius. “Well, I suppose that would be fun, wouldn’t it?” He turned to Augusta, still grinning. “So I suppose you are in charge of Alice and our boys if we have to take drastic measures.”

Augusta nodded, trying to suppress her own smile. “I’ll keep them safe, Frank. You know that.”

Another particularly strong jolt of magic hit the wards, and Frank and Augusta were thrown back a few steps, both of their concentrations broken. The last of the wards falls, and the whole group of Death Eaters step forward cautiously, as though uncertain if they would still be hurt by the wards.

Sirius aimed his wand directly at Bellatrix, still standing in front. “Bella.” He growled.

Bellatrix glared at him. “What have you bastard blood traitors done with the Dark Lord?”

“Done?” Frank asked incredulously. “You don’t know where he is?”

“He went to attack the Potters and never came back!” Rabastan yelled. “He won’t answer our summons!”

“But we heard that the Potters are dead, which means he must have succeeded.” Bellatrix continued. “So that means that the Dark Lord is somewhere, and we want to know where.”

“Some precious servants you are, if he won’t even tell you where he’s gone. Maybe he just got sick of you and left.” Sirius teased, raising an eyebrow.

Bellatrix snarled at him. “Our Dark Lord loves his servants! He would never!”

“Your master is dead.” Augusta cut in, and the Death Eaters all stared at her in shock as she continued. “Dumbledore said so himself. And You-Know-Who didn’t succeed. Harry Potter still lives.”

“Lies!” Bellatrix screeched, and she shot a hex at Augusta who easily blocked it. She approached angrily and sent repeated jinxes and hexes towards Augusta, who blocked all of them. “Lies! Lies! All lies!”

Augusta blocked a particularly nasty-looking purple hex sent her way, and in return cast a stinging hex directly at Bellatrix’s face. The Death Eater screamed and cursed, holding her face, and both Rodolphus and Rabastan rushed forward to attack Augusta as Bellatrix fell to her knees.

Before the other two Death Eaters could join them, Frank blocked Oakwood’s path with a shielding charm that he ran face-first into, and Sirius simply cast a tripping jinx on Crouch Jr.

Oakwood took one look at Frank before sending a hex at him, which Frank blocked with the same shield charm. Frank, remembering the horrid grin on Oakwood’s face before the wards fell, felt a surge of protectiveness and a need to ensure Alice’s safety above everything else. He knew there was no holding back; this was going to be the duel of his life.

And, he thought as Oakwood gave him the same terrible smirk again, there was no one else he’d rather be fighting for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My partner rather hates cliffhangers, and made me write this chapter as soon as possible, so y'all get it early. The next chapter will be quite a bit longer than the rest of them, but it won't be up so soon, so brace yourself!   
> Thanks for reading! Be safe and healthy, and have a great day!


	5. Save Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A battle erupts outside Longbottom Manor, and Sirius, Augusta and Frank need to be ready for what comes.

“Well, this is a surprise.” Sirius scoffed as he stood over the younger man. “Merlin’s balls, Barty Crouch’s own son. I always knew you were a brat, but not like this. What would he think if he knew?”

“He wouldn’t care. He’s never cared about me.” The boy spat, standing up with a hurt and angry look on his face. “All he’s ever cared about is his job, and his damned reputation.”

“And you want to make his reputation suffer by becoming a Death Eater.”

“I want to make him suffer. His job, his career, that’s all that’s ever mattered to him. My mother was the only person who ever cared about me until the Dark Lord found me.”

Sirius was suddenly reminded of a similar conversation he’d had with Regulus, and his heart began to break. “That can’t really be true, kid, I promise you it’s not.”

“No?” Barty laughed. “Then tell me, Black, has my father ever talked about me, other than to brag about my twelve O.W.L.s? Has he ever expressed any kind of fatherly appreciation for the only person who can carry on his Pureblood name?”

Sirius didn’t have an answer to that. “I mean, I never worked closely with Mr. Crouch, but –”

“You wouldn’t have to work closely with Lucius bloody Malfoy to know that bastard has a son. Draco is all he ever talks about. How he and Narcissa are so lucky to have had a beautiful little Pureblood boy who looks so much like his granddad.” Barty mocked in a scaringly good impression of the Lord Malfoy. “Honest to Merlin, it annoys the hell out of me. Everybody always talks about how lucky they are to have their sons, their heirs, but my father never gave a damn.”

The boy was reminding him so much of Regulus that it was beginning to feel painful in Sirius’ soul just to hear him speak. “Barty, there’s no way your father never cared. He loved you –”

“How could you know? How could you possibly know that?” Barty sneered.

“Because you’re just like Regulus.” Sirius replied harshly, before mentally cursing himself for it.

“Regulus? Regulus Black?”

“My brother.”

“I went to Hogwarts with him.” Barty said in a softer voice. “We were friends.”

“I know.”

“He’s dead.”

“I know.”

“What do you mean, I’m just like him?” The boy asked, all malice gone from his face. “Regulus didn’t even talk to me for six months before he died.”

“He didn’t talk to me either.” Sirius admitted. “I said some horrible things to him when he joined You-Know-Who.”

“I don’t think he wanted to.” Barty replied, and Sirius looked at him in shock. “He was always horrified by the things we had to do. He told me once that he wanted out, and when I told him that was impossible, not to mention disgraceful, he stopped talking to me. Six months later the Dark Lord announced to us that he had been killed for trying to abandon the Death Eaters.”

“He… wanted out?” Sirius repeated. “He tried to leave?”

“I guess you were told otherwise.” Barty raised an eyebrow, and Sirius’ eyes filled with hurt, angry tears.

“Dumbledore said that he’d been killed by an Auror while doing something for You-Know-Who.”

“Well, Dumbledore was wrong. The Dark Lord said he’d killed him himself, for trying to defect. A reminder to all of us that we chose our dedication for life.”

Sirius said nothing, so Barty continued. “Regulus told me that his last straw had something to do with your family’s house elf, Kreacher. But he wouldn’t tell me any more than that, just that the Dark Lord had tried to kill him for his own gain.”

“Kreacher?” Sirius thought for a moment. “Of all the things Death Eaters had to do, his final line was about the house elf?”

“It wasn’t just that. You have no idea the torment it caused Regulus to do the things we were told to do to prove our loyalty. He cried. A lot. He said your name in his sleep sometimes, usually paired with the word sorry.”

Sirius’ eyes spilled over with tears and he dropped his wand, breaking down into sobs with his hands on his face. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” He repeated to himself.

Barty stood in front of Sirius awkwardly, unsure of how to proceed. Regulus’ brother reminded him so much of the boy he once considered his best friend. How could he attack him while he was mourning? He didn’t even want to be here in the first place, but Bellatrix said it was time he showed his true worth and did something useful.

“I can’t do this.” Barty muttered suddenly, and he withdrew his own wand, turning and running away from Sirius.

Sirius looked up, still crying, and watched the boy run, uncertain of whether or not to let him go. Before Barty could get very far, Sirius heard a voice scream, “Petrificus Totalus”, and he fell face-first into the ground.

Sirius turned and saw Bellatrix standing nearby with her wand drawn, her face marred from Augusta’s hex. 

“How dare you?!” She screeched, approaching Barty with an expression of fury and betrayal. “How dare you try to abandon us, abandon the Dark Lord who has given you everything?!”

“The Dark Lord is dead, Bella. Our Marks are already fading!” Barty yelled, his voice muffled from being in the dirt.

“LIES!” Bellatrix roared again. She undid her body-bind on him just to yell, “Crucio!”

Barty’s screams were like a knife in Sirius’ soul, and he knew he had to intervene. He picked up his wand and shot a spell of fire towards Bellatrix, but she looked round before it hit her and deflected it with a spurt of water. 

“Sirius, this has nothing to do with you, stay out of this.” Bellatrix sneered. “I’ll deal with you after I take care of this little traitor.”

“Leave him alone, Bella.”

“Why do you care about him?” Bellatrix scoffed. “He’s not Regulus, you know. Though, they are both traitors I suppose –”

Before Sirius could hex her for it, a spell hit her back. She cried out in pain and turned back towards Barty, who was standing with his wand drawn. “Don’t talk about Regulus like that!” He yelled, before sending another spell at Bellatrix, who easily shielded herself.

Bellatrix smirked at the boy, humouring his outburst for a few moments before apparently growing tired of it.

She conjured a knife out of thin air and threw it directly at Barty’s throat, hitting her mark exactly.

“No!” Sirius yelled, and he attempted to send another curse at Bellatrix, which she once again deflected. 

Hex after hex, curse after curse, the two of them deflected and cast at each other over and over again, neither of them seeming to grow tired of it; rather, they seemed to only be fueled by their pure hatred for each other.

Finally, he hit Bellatrix square in the chest with the same stinging hex Augusta used on her face, and she fell to the ground again.

* * *

“Don’t you dare touch my wife!” Rodolphus yelled, sending a body bind at Augusta.

Augusta shielded herself from the curse, and threw the same one back at Rabastan, who collapsed to the dirt, paralyzed.

“Don’t touch my brother either!” Rodolphus roared, and he sent several more curses at Augusta, who shielded herself from every one of them. “Don’t touch my family, you old hag!”

“Then don’t touch mine.” She growled in response, as she aimed a hex between his legs.

He shielded himself, and he tried to take a moment to undo the body bind on his brother.

Within his moment of weakness, Augusta sent a swelling hex right at his wand arm, and as he cast the counter-charm his arm swelled to twice its size, and he yelled in pain as he dropped his wand beside his brother.

Rabastan, now unbound, shot up from the ground and cast a hex directly towards Augusta, but aimed very poorly, and missed her entirely.

“You’d think You-Know-Who would have chosen smarter wizards to be his Death Eaters.”

Both brothers swore out loud at her, and cast simultaneous curses at her, which she shielded herself from. 

“Honestly, if the two of you are beaten by an old hag like myself, I don’t think your master would welcome you back even if he was still alive.”

“You lie!” Rabastan yelled. “He lives! Our Dark Lord lives!”

“Then where is he?” Augusta countered.

The brothers stood staring at each other for a moment, giving Augusta time to send a stinging hex at Rodolphus, making him shout in pain and fall to his knees.

Rabastan roared in anger, and threw as many hexes as he could muster at Augusta, but completely failing to hit her even once. 

“I’d rather be duelling your wife right now, Rodolphus.” She said to the man who was still on his knees. “She’s a much better fighter than either of you.”

At this, Rodolphus turns to look at Bellatrix, who was duelling with Sirius. He looks back at Augusta with a sneer. “I know she is. What a shame that you’ll lose young Black tonight because of it.”

Augusta narrowed her eyes at Rodolphus, still deflecting and shielding the curses flying at her from the angry Rabastan. “You underestimate Sirius Black.”

“And I believe you underestimate my wife.”

Augusta took a moment to look back at the duelling pair. “Are you certain?”

Rodolphus and Rabastan both turn to look back at Bellatrix, who had just fallen to the ground with Sirius’ hex at her chest.

* * *

“Ah, Frank Longbottom. So you and Alice did end up hitched after all.” Oakwood said with a raised eyebrow. “Always knew you had the hots for her. You’re welcome, by the way, for getting you two together with that little joke of mine.”

“You mean when you tried to assault her in an empty classroom? Yeah, great joke Oakwood.” Frank countered, his wand raised at Oakwood’s face.

“Oh, don’t be so boring. She was laughing about it before you burst in and interrupted us.”

“That’s bloody rubbish.” Frank glared at him.

“Whatever you choose to believe.” He grinned evilly. “And I choose to believe that she definitely wanted that.”

Frank growled at him, and shot a hex at his chest, but Oakwood shielded himself quickly. They exchanged shields and curses for several minutes before Oakwood knocked him back a few steps with a spell he didn’t recognize, catching him off guard.

“Longbottom, seriously, interrupting me while I’m talking? That’s so impolite.”

“You don’t deserve politeness.”

“And you don’t deserve Alice.” Oakwood scoffed.

Alarm bells in Frank’s head went off, and he knew Oakwood was trying to torment him into losing his temper. But it still hurt. “And you think you do?”

“Oh, I don’t care if I do or not.” Oakwood chuckled darkly. “And I don’t care what she wants or deserves either. As soon as I’m done here with you, I’m going to go inside and find her, and finish what I started back then.”

He roared angrily, and before Oakwood could do anything else Frank quickly transformed himself into a very large grizzly bear, towering over the older man.

Oakwood looked up at the face of the bear, standing on his two hind legs, and gulped.

* * *

“Bella!” Rodolphus yelled, and as Rabastan shot more curses at Augusta he ran towards his still wife, casting hexes at Sirius, who was shielding every one of them.

He knelt beside his wife and yelled for his brother, who looked over at them. “We need to go!”

“But Rod, we still need to find –”

“Now, Rab!” Rodolphus demanded, and Rabastan sighed in defeat before running towards their forms.

Exposing his retreating back to Augusta was his last mistake, as she cast another full body-bind on him and he collapsed onto his face.

Rodolphus swore out loud before picking Bellatrix up and disapparating, not sparing another glance at his brother, or at either of his other companions.

Not that they could escape with him anyways.

Sirius, without a second thought, ran towards Barty, hoping he could somehow save the last piece of Regulus he could possibly have.

But the boy was already dead.

Meanwhile, Oakwood wasn’t faring much better; as it turns out, a wand doesn’t help one much when one is being mauled by an angry bear, even if that bear is an Animagus.

“So, Rabastan Lestrange…” Augusta said, placing her foot on the man’s back, pressing him further into the dirt. “You’ve been abandoned by your brother. How does that make you feel?”

Rather than reply, Rabastan wordlessly un-bound himself and threw Augusta off him physically, knocking her to the ground. “Shut up, you old hag!” As she attempted to stand up, he shot a curse at her wildly, but only managed to hit her ankle.

She swore out loud, and managed to hit him with a hex of her own just before he, too, disapparated.

Augusta unsteadily rose on her own two feet, surveying what had just happened.

She saw Frank, coming out of his bear form, standing over the once-whole body of Odin Oakwood, and Sirius clutching the once-alive body of Barty Crouch Jr.

Hold on. What was Bartemius Crouch’s son doing here?

She approached Sirius first. “Sirius, are you hurt?”

Sirius shook his head, tears pouring down his face. “No, but Barty…”

“What is he even doing here, Sirius?”

“He was with them, but he didn’t want to be, just like Regulus…”

Augusta’s confusion must have been all over her face, but she just shook her head. It was no use trying to get him to explain it right now; they were definitely all in shock, and just needed to go to bed.

She decided to check on Frank, who seemed entirely unharmed but very much emotionally rattled. “Frank?”

“He threatened her, Mum. He threatened to hurt Alice again.”

“He won’t touch her, Frank. She’s safe. We’re safe.”

“We need to get to a safer place.” Frank responded. “We can’t stay here.

Augusta nodded. “We should go inside and get Alice and the boys.”

Frank looked down at Oakwood’s body, then over at Sirius with Barty’s. Both he and Augusta approached Sirius again, and Frank knelt down beside him. “Is that Mr Crouch’s son?”

“Yeah.” Sirius replied. “He was with them, but he didn’t want to be. He tried to get out, and they killed him, just like they did to Regulus.”

“Wait, they killed Regulus?” Frank asked in shock. “Dumbledore said he was killed by an Auror.”

“Dumbledore says a lot of things, apparently.” Sirius muttered darkly. “I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

“Well, what we can guess by now is that he’s right about You-Know-Who being gone.” Augusta said. “If his Death Eaters haven’t heard from him, and nobody knows where he went or where to find him, and he didn’t manage to kill Harry…”

“But even if You-Know-Who is gone,” Frank started. “He will probably return, and we need to protect Neville and Harry when that time comes.”

Augusta put a hand on his shoulder, and one on Sirius’. “We can and we will. We will always protect our family, just like we did today.”

The men both nodded. Whatever happened, they’d be ready for it.

* * *

Dumbledore cursed to himself from the spot he was watching the battle from as he saw Bellatrix and Rodolphus, and even Rabastan, apparate away like cowards. Not only had Frank killed Oakwood, but Barty Crouch Jr was dead too. It was a surprise to even Dumbledore that Barty Crouch Jr was on their side, but no surprise at all when he tried to flee, and still none when Bellatrix murdered him for it. He always was a bit of a coward, and Bellatrix had always been ruthless.

It had been taking them far too long to take down the wards, and Dumbledore had admittedly given them a boost or two on that, but the battle was all theirs, since there was no way he could help with that. And yet they failed horribly.

Well, Dumbledore decided, if the Death Eaters weren’t going to get Harry away from the Longbottoms, then something else had to be done. But what?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Sorry about all the repeated phrases, sometimes I'm really bad at synonyms)  
> Next chapter will be up in a few days. I have big plans for this fic!!   
> Thanks for reading! Be safe and healthy, and have a great day!


	6. Somewhere Safe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius has a plan as to where they can stay for a while, but they of course need to ask permission first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short chapter for now, I have one more exam to do this week and then I'll get back to writing more!

“We have to find somewhere else to be.” Frank said, gathering up some supplies and meaningful items. “We can’t stay here right now. We have to go.”

“Who can we stay with?” Alice wondered out loud, holding one of Neville’s favourite plush toys to her chest before putting it in a small bag.

Nobody said anything as the Longbottoms all continued to rush about, wands raised and things flying across the room to land in bags, trying to prepare for an indeterminable amount of time away from their home, and Sirius kept Neville and Harry entertained. Finally, Sirius had an idea.

“We could stay with Xenophilius and Pandora for a little while. Pandora has always opened her door for me when I needed it.”

“But can they fit four extra – well, six extra if we count the boys – people in that little house of theirs?” Augusta asked. “Besides, they have little Luna now.”

“Luna and the boys can bunk together if they need to, and they have two spare bedrooms in the basement.” Sirius replied. “Three if Pandora moves her spell-making lab… stuff…”

“I’ve never been in their basement.” Alice stated. “I always thought they just had a tiny house.”

Sirius laughed. “Xenophilius and Pandora would never have such a tiny house. They’d need someplace to keep all their artifacts and such, right? Just don’t touch anything you don’t recognize, or it might read your mind or something.”

Frank chuckled, levitating another one of Neville’s many toys into a bag. “I love those two, I really do, but I honestly don’t understand them very well.”

“Yeah, me neither.” Sirius admitted. “But Pandora has always been very sweet to me, and Xenophilius is just shy. I can Floo to their place now and talk to them if you want me to.”

“I’ll go with you,” Frank stowed his wand away before turning to Alice and Augusta. “If you ladies are okay with that?”

“It’s probably best if you both go.” Alice said. “Better to explain things that way.”

Augusta nodded in agreement. “We’ll be fine here, Frank. You go ahead.”

Frank leaned in and gave Alice a kiss on the head. “We will be back soon, dear.”

* * *

“Pandora?” Sirius called out, stepping out of the fireplace into their living room and brushing himself off as Frank stepped out behind him. “Xenophilius?”

“Sirius!” Pandora replied, appearing around the corner from the kitchen. “How wonderful to see you, darling. Oh, and Frank, how nice of you to stop by!” A giggling sound came from the kitchen, and she looked back in before turning to make eye contact with Sirius. “I’ll just be a moment, I’m trying to keep Luna out of –”

A small crashing sound came from the kitchen, and Pandora cringed. “Oh, dear…” She sighed in her sing-song voice before ducking back into the kitchen. 

“Do you need help, Dora?” Sirius asked.

“Oh, no, darling, we’re fine. We’re fine, right sweetheart?” Luna’s baby voice giggled at Pandora’s words.

Sirius and Frank peeked into the kitchen to see little eight-month-old Luna sitting on the counter covered head to toe in chocolate pudding, and a similar mess on the floor next to an overturned bowl.

“ _Scourgify!_ ” Pandora pointed her wand at both the floor and Luna, who giggled again and tried to grab at her mother’s wand, who quickly stashed it away much to the girl’s disappointment. “I swear, having a baby is more stressful than fighting in the war sometimes.” Pandora said with an exasperated smile.

Frank chuckled. “Just wait until she’s old enough to do accidental magic, Pandora.”

“She’s already doing it.” Pandora sighed. “I know it’s very rare at this age but she has definitely done some magic already.”

Sirius raised his eyebrows. “She’s going to be an extraordinary little witch, that Luna.”

Pandora picked up Luna, balancing her on her hip. “Oh, I have no doubt about that. My sweet little Luna…” She turned to the men in front of her, completely uncaring that Luna was now chewing on the ends of her hair. “Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, gentlemen?”

“Um…” Sirius looked to Frank desperately, but Frank shook his head at the Marauder. This was not Frank’s story to tell.

“We need a place to stay…” Sirius started.

Pandora looked from Sirius to Frank in concern, then back to Sirius. “What’s wrong?” She asked.

Instead of answering, Sirius’ eyes welled up with tears again, and he looked at the ground.

“James and Lily are gone.” Frank responded instead, and Pandora’s hand flew to her mouth in shock as he continued. “You-Know-Who killed them, but Harry is still here. Dumbledore tried to put him with Lily’s sister but we took him instead. Death Eaters attacked our house and we need somewhere safe to be for a little while.”

Pandora was silent, and so were the two men in front of her, Sirius still staring at the ground and Frank still making eye contact with Pandora. The only sound to be heard was Luna chewing on her mother’s hair. 

Finally, Pandora spoke. “Xeno is out right now, but he won’t say no to helping our friends. You’re going to have to tell us everything but get Alice and the boys here right now. And your mother, Frank, we can’t leave her to herself.”

Sirius looked up to find Pandora staring right at him. “I know what you’re thinking, Sirius. None of this is your fault.”

At this, the man broke. He collapsed on Pandora’s couch and began sobbing into his hands.

Frank gestured towards the fireplace, indicating to Pandora that he was going back to the Manor. She nodded at him before sitting next to Sirius, Luna still in her arms. Instead of saying anything, she started rubbing Sirius’ back in circles, intending to let him cry himself out.

However, little Luna decided that a crying person was not to be left to their own devices, and began trying to crawl into Sirius’ lap instead.

Sirius smiled sadly and opened his arms for the girl, and she climbed right onto him, tugging at his hair and babbling at him in baby-talk. 

He knew things would be okay eventually, but for now… things were way more difficult than he'd ever experienced.


	7. What's Best

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A surprise visit from a friend brings tension to the Lovegood's house.

The Headmaster’s office was hardly ever silent. The portraits of the previous Headmasters were usually talking amongst each other or at least mumbling under their breath, usually in agreement or disagreement with something the current Headmaster was doing or saying, or there was a visitor. Or, more often than not, Albus Dumbledore was simply pacing around his office talking to himself. This was one of those times. Dumbledore rather enjoyed these times; the solitude was comforting, especially since outside the office he was never alone. 

Unfortunately, these times never lasted long.

A noise came from the fireplace, and Dumbledore looked up to see a tear-stained, scarred, disheveled man stumble out. The man tried to no avail to brush the ash and floo powder from his already-dirty jacket before giving up and making eye contact with the Headmaster.

“Ah, Remus.” Dumbledore said with a smile, sitting behind his desk. “Good of you to come, I was beginning to worry.”

“Is it true?” Remus asked in a cracking voice, full of emotion. “Are James and Lily really gone?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“How? How did this happen?” Remus’ eyes filled with tears, which evidently had happened a lot in the last 24 hours. He sank into the chair across from Dumbledore. “Why would Sirius do this?”

“Sirius? I’m not – oh, of course. No, Sirius was not their Secret Keeper, Remus.” 

“What? Then who was?”

“Peter.”

“Peter?!” Remus exclaimed, jumping out of his seat and making the chair fall backwards. “Peter would never!”

Dumbledore waved his hand and Remus’ chair went back to its original position before he replied. “Evidently, he would, unfortunately. He sold the Potters out to Voldemort, and Voldemort killed Lily and James two nights ago.”

Remus broke down, and he collapsed on the chair. He sobbed breathlessly for several minutes before something seemed to occur to him. “What about Harry?”

“Sirius took him from me.” Dumbledore sighed dramatically. “I wanted to send him to Lily’s sister’s house, to best protect him from the dangers of our world, and to make sure the blood wards from Lily’s sacrifice would keep him safe.”

“Sirius took him?! Where?!” Remus jumped out of his chair again, only this time it didn’t fall down. “We need to get Harry back! We need to protect him! What is Sirius thinking?!”

“He’s been holed up at the Longbottom’s with Harry since that night. He’s under the impression that he and they can protect him better than hiding him will, or better than I can.” Dumbledore explained, then sighed dramatically again, shaking his head. “I don’t know how to talk any sense into him. I think he’s lost in his grief, and not thinking clearly.”

Remus’ eyes narrowed, and he seemed to come to an agreement with himself as he nodded firmly at Dumbledore. “I can talk to him.”

“Oh, would you please, Remus?” Dumbledore looked at him with a desperate expression. “I will never know him like you do, and you know how to talk him down best.”

Remus shook his head. “No, that’s not my calling. The only person who could ever talk Sirius down from something was James.” He squared his shoulders. “But James is gone, and we need to do what’s best for Harry. I’ll do my best, Professor.”

Dumbledore smiled at the man sadly. “Thank you, Remus. Please bring Harry to me once you’d talked some sense into him.”

“I will.” Remus stepped over to the fireplace, took a fistful of Floo powder, and yelled, “Longbottom manor!” before disappearing in a flash of colourful flames.

Dumbledore waited until the fire was gone before he flicked his wand and summoned a piece of parchment and a quill. There was a lot of explaining to do to Petunia Dursley, but surely a letter would suffice…

* * *

Since the wards on Longbottom manor had been broken by the Death Eaters, they weren’t as strong as they were before; years of wards from one of the strongest Pureblood families that had never come down were obviously stronger than wards that had only been up for a day or so. 

It honestly baffled Augusta. Those Death Eaters may have been strong in their own right, but as far as she was aware, none of them were particularly gifted at ward-breaking. Besides, those wards had been there since the manor was built nearly two centuries prior. Nobody except someone who had access to the wards would be able to take them down that easily. But Augusta was lost on that one.

“I still don’t know how they broke our wards, Frank.” Augusta sighed as she opened one of the family photo albums off her bookshelf. “I suspect they may have had help.”

“Help?” Frank replied, looking out from the closet his head was in. “From who?”

“Someone who had permission to enter them. The wards would fall much easier from someone who knew the workings of them, and none of those Death Eaters had access to us.”

Frank thought for a moment before his face froze in an almost nauseated expression. “Peter?”

Augusta nearly smacked her own forehead. “Oh Merlin. Maybe he was out there, and we didn’t see him… How could I have missed that?”

“I wouldn’t expect Peter to have that much power. I guess that’s how we didn’t think of him at first.”

“Still, there’s nobody else it could have been. I mean, who else –”

Augusta’s words were cut off by the sound of the Floo downstairs, and both Longbottoms looked at each other with worry, whipped out their wands wordlessly, and dashed down the stairs.

“Hello?” Remus called out as he heard Augusta and Frank coming down at lightning speed. 

“Remus?” Augusta responded in surprise, almost cartoonishly screeching to a halt at the doorway, wand still raised. “What are you doing here?”

“I just want to see Harry.” Remus said bluntly, raising his hands in a surrender position. “Dumbledore told me he was here.”

Frank appeared behind Augusta, also surprised. “Dumbledore told you?”

Remus nodded. “He said Sirius brought him here, against Dumbledore’s wishes.”

Augusta and Frank looked at each other, almost having a full conversation silently. Finally, Augusta turned back to Remus. “We’re staying at the Lovegood’s right now. We just came back to check on things and figure out some other things to bring with us. You can come back with us as long as you promise not to start a fight with Sirius.”

“Start a fight?” Remus feigned a look of confusion that almost fooled the other two (…almost). “Why would I start a fight?”

“You know how just as well as we do how stubborn Sirius is, Remus. Don’t expect to change his mind easily.” Augusta warned sternly. Remus Lupin was a horrid liar, and Augusta was far too wise and experienced, and far too much on her guard right now, to fall for it.

“I just want to talk to him.” Remus lied. “I don’t intend to fight him on it.”

Neither Frank nor Augusta believed him, but Frank knew that if it came down to a fight, Remus would be outnumbered and quickly lose, so he agreed. “Alright, Remus. Come with us then.”

* * *

A sleeping Sirius curled up on the couch, his arm protectively wrapped around an also-sleeping baby Harry, with sleeping Luna tucked behind his knees and sleeping Neville draped over his side. This was the scene Xenophilius and Pandora walked into the house to find after their trip to the nearby Muggle village for food, as they did every Monday without fail.

“Oh, darling, look… he’s becoming a father, one nap at a time.” Pandora whispered happily to her husband, peering through the archway into the livingroom as she sets her grocery bags down on the kitchen counter.

Xenophilius chuckled softly, putting down his own bags. “I think soon he’ll be cleaning chocolate pudding out of his hair.”

Pandora stuck her tongue out at Xenophilius, but she also chuckled. “Luna certainly gives us her fair share of trouble already, doesn’t she?”

“Yes, my dear Nargle, she does.” Xenophilius had come up with the nickname back when they were in Hogwarts together, as a teasing explanation for how she ‘made his heart and brain feel fuzzy’ whenever he saw her. “But she definitely makes it all worth it.”

Pandora smiled at the old pet name, and looked at their sleeping daughter, sucking her thumb and clutching the teddy bear in her arms. “I didn’t think I would ever be a good mother, considering how young I was when my mother died, but I think we’re doing okay.”

“You’re a wonderful mother, Dora.” Xenophilius kissed the top of his wife’s head before waving his wand and sending the groceries to their respective places.

Just then, a noise came from the fireplace, and Augusta stepped out, brushing Floo from her shoulders.

Sirius was immediately awake, and he instinctively sat up quickly, almost knocking Neville onto the ground before he pulled him to his chest protectively along with Luna and Harry. 

“Merlin, Augusta, you almost scared my balls off.” Sirius said groggily as he processed the scene in front of him, setting the kids down on the couch as he realized that they were not in danger. 

Neville, being Neville, had still slept through the ruckus so far, but Luna was wide awake now and Harry was stirring.

“Sirius Orion Black, watch your mouth in front of my grandson.” Augusta scolded.

Pandora and Xenophilius came into the room as Sirius was trying to protest that Neville couldn’t understand him anyway, and Xenophilius sat in the chair beside the couch while Pandora perched herself on the armrest beside her husband. “Where is Frank?” Pandora asked as Luna climbed over Sirius to crawl into her father’s lap.

Before Augusta could answer, the flames lit up behind her and she stepped to the side to allow Remus and Frank to step out together.

Sirius shot to his feet in surprise, nearly knocking Remus over as he scooped the tired man into his arms. “Moony!”

Remus nearly burst into tears again, holding his best friend as tightly as he could. “Merlin, Padfoot, I’m so sorry.”

“For what?” Sirius asked, his own eyes filling up.

“I thought it was you. I thought it was you that sold them out, and that’s why I haven’t tried to see you, and I’m so sorry for thinking you would do that.”

Sirius shook his head. “That’s not your fault. Everyone thought I was their Secret-Keeper, and we did that on purpose. I’m sorry that you weren’t in on it, but Dumbledore insisted.” 

Remus’ face hardened. “Speaking of Dumbledore… I think we need to talk.”

“Talk?” Sirius looked shocked at first, especially at the dark look on Remus’ face, but then realization dawned on him, and his heart began to hurt. “Did you go see him?”

“Yes, I did.” Remus answered, his face not losing its grim expression.

“What did he tell you?” Sirius stepped out of the hug.

“He told me that you took Harry against his will, that you’re keeping him from Dumbledore because you think you’re doing the right thing.”

“I am doing the right thing!” Sirius replied defensively, his loud voice now waking up Harry. “I’m protecting Harry!”

“You’re doing him a disservice!” Remus responded with anger. “He needs the protection of Lily’s blood relation, which is her sister!”

“Is that what Dumbledore said?” Sirius challenged. “Did he remind you that Lily’s sister was afraid of her, and abusive towards her, and that her husband is even worse?” 

Remus had no response, so Sirius continued. “Did he remind you about when Marlene told us that Lily cried herself to sleep every night for a week after every break?” 

Even the mention of Marlene made Sirius’ composure threaten to break, and Remus’, but Sirius wasn’t done. “Did he remind you that Augusta fought in the war against Grindelwald and his army, and that Frank and Alice are Aurors, and that I was training under Moody too? Do you really think he’d be safer in the Muggle world than with us, Remus?”

“If Dumbledore says he would be safer, then yes!” Remus finally replied. “If Dumbledore thinks that the blood protection is the safest thing for Ja—for Harry, then that’s what we should be following.”

“He’s not James, Remus.” A soft voice cut in.

Everyone turned to look in the archway to the kitchen, where Alice had been standing unnoticed for several minutes, roused from her own nap by the commotion. “He’s not James.” She said again. “James is gone.”

“I know James is gone!” Remus yelled loudly at her, now stirring even Neville. “Do you think I’m stupid?! Do you think I don’t know that my best friend is gone?!”

“Don’t you dare raise your voice at my wife, Remus.” Frank raised his wand and pointed it at Remus’ chest. “I told you not to start any fights, and you’ve gone too far.”

“Don’t point your wand at me –”

As Remus’ own wand is raised towards Frank, there was a flurry of movement. Remus found four more wands pointed in his direction as Sirius, Alice, Augusta, and even Pandora had raised theirs.

“Try something. I dare you.” Alice snarled, stepping towards her husband protectively. “See how well it goes for you.”

Remus narrowed his eyes at Alice, and turned his wand towards her. “Don’t make me –”

“Enough!” 

Xenophilius stood from his chair, placing a frightened and fidgety Luna on the seat in his stead, his glare fixed on Remus. “Everyone lower their wands, now.”

Nobody except Pandora had ever seen him angry before, and just his command was enough to make everyone comply, except Alice and Remus.

Xenophilius glanced at Alice briefly. “Please, Alice.”

Alice slowly lowered her wand, her eyes still flaring with anger at Remus.

Xenophilius turned back to Remus, who still had his wand pointed at Alice. “Remus, lower your wand, or I will raise mine and you will find out why neither Grindelwald nor You-Know-Who ever wanted to mess with my family.”

Remus hesitated before lowering his wand, turning his gaze to Xenophilius and instantly feeling afraid of the murderous glare being aimed at him.

“Now, Remus, you are going to turn around and Floo yourself out of my house immediately.” Remus started to protest, but Xenophilius clenched his jaw and repeated, “immediately.”

Remus looked around at the faces of the people who he once called his friends. How had things come to this?

“Don’t make me get out my wand, Remus.” Xenophilius warned.

Remus turned and stepped into the fireplace with a fistful of powder, and spared one last glance at a furious Sirius before Flooing home.

Even after the colourful flame died, the room was tense, and nobody moved said a word for a few moments.

The silence was broken by the sound of Luna starting to cry, but before anybody could do anything, Harry climbed over to the chair and started to hug Luna with his little arms.

The adults all watched as Harry patted Luna’s fuzzy blonde head, repeating the words he had heard from his parents so many times when he was upset. “Shh, baby… You safe, baby…”

The tension of the argument paired with the reminder of the loss of James and Lily in front of him made Sirius fall to his knees in tears again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how long you folks had to wait!!! I've been so busy with Christmas and exams that I lost my creative spirit for a few weeks. I'm ripe with ideas now (and my partner has been begging me to continue... LOL), so be prepared for more soon!  
> Thanks for reading! Be safe and healthy, and have a great day!   
> And don't forget to wash your hands and wear your masks!


	8. Go Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip down memory lane is far harder than Sirius anticipated.

“Alice, have you seen Sirius?” Frank poked his head into Pandora’s lab to see the two women pouring over some ancient spellbook that Xenophilius had found for Pandora a few months before Luna was born, which she had been working on translating ever since.

“Hm? No, I haven’t, dear.” Alice replied absently. “Not since breakfast. Ask Xenophilius maybe.”

“I did, he just mumbled something about dirigible plums.” 

Pandora’s head shot up so quickly that Frank was almost concerned she had given herself whiplash. “Oh no, it’s harvest day! I completely forgot!” She turned to Alice with an apologetic expression as she got out of her chair and grabbed her bright orange cardigan off the table. “I’m sorry, Alice, I have to go help Xeno with the harvesting, we can come back to this later. After lunch maybe? It is only half past eleven.”

Alice smiled. “Don’t worry, we have plenty of time. Neither it nor I are going anywhere anytime soon.”

Pandora grinned. “You can both stay forever if you’d like to!” At the look of shock on Frank’s face, she laughed heartily before exiting the room.

Frank turned to Alice, face still shocked. “We’re not staying forever, are we?”

Alice laughed too. “No, dear, of course not. We’ll go home when it’s safe to do so. But your mother is nervous about going back so soon after resetting the wards; I just spoke to her about it last night, it’s still only been eight days.”

Had it really only been eight days since they came here? Little more than a week since James and Lily were killed, and less than a week since Sirius had what Alice called a ‘mental break’ after Remus left, and wouldn’t eat for two days until Luna forcefully shared her carrots and pudding (a ‘horrid combination’, Sirius had called it) with him?

“I can’t believe it’s been such a short amount of time.” Alice’s voice broke Frank out of his thoughts. “Already Neville and Harry are bonding with Luna, and I honestly had never realized how much Pandora and I have in common…”

“Xenophilius is starting to grow on me, honestly.” Frank said with a small smile. “I never thought I’d say that.”

Alice shook her head, laughing again. “Come on, dear, let’s go see if the kids want some lunch.”

~

“Hey, I found this on Sirius’ bed.” Alice walked into the kitchen, holding up a note as Frank buckled Luna into her highchair. “It says he’s going to James and Lily’s cottage in Godric’s Hollow.”

Frank frowned. “He said that place had been destroyed. I wonder what he thinks he will find there.”

Alice put the note down on the counter and grabbed the small bowls of homemade soup meant for the babbling babies beside the table. “Nothing but ash and sad memories.” She said in a low voice.

“What’s going on?” Pandora asked, coming through the other doorway with messy hair and dirt on her clothes. “I came in to get water, but it feels like something is wrong.”

“Erm…” Frank looked at Alice in confusion.

“Sirius left a note saying he was going to James and Lily’s old cottage.” Alice responded. She had figured out over the last few days that Pandora was particularly good at sensing moods; almost like what Lily would call ‘empaths’ from hero comics she grew up with in the Muggle world. 

“Oh. He’s not going to be happy with what he finds there.” Pandora replied cryptically, mostly to herself.

“Maybe one of us should go after him?” Frank asked.

“I’ll go.” Pandora said. “Frank, can you please help Xeno with the rest of the harvesting while I’m gone? It would be some good manly bonding time, or whatever you call it.”

Frank blinked, and looked at Alice once again, who shrugged. “I… I suppose?”

“Thank you, you’re a dear.” She handed him her dirty gardening gloves and used a quick “ _Scourgify!_ ” on her clothes before turning around and walking back out the door to say goodbye to her husband. Frank sighed before following her outside.

Alice looked back at the babies in front of her, who were all getting grumpy about the fact that the soup was right there in front of them and they were not being fed.

~

Bad memories. Ash. Dust. Broken items. An aura of destruction and pain…

Good memories. The flowers Lily planted in the backyard last summer. The bushes out front that Sirius once passed out in when he tried to go home after too much Firewhiskey, and Lily had to drag him back into the house and set him on the couch since her husband wasn’t any more sober than Sirius was. Hopefully some important items of James and Lily’s still in their bedroom. There were things that survived the night, which he didn’t expect to happen.

But what exactly did happen?

It wasn’t quite as blackened as Potter Manor was after it had been burned down by Death Eaters almost three years earlier, but it was definitely damaged. It almost looked like there had been an explosion of some kind, originating from Harry’s room.

Sirius took a step through the broken doorframe, and stared for a long moment at the spot where he knew James’ body had been just over a week ago.

The Aurors and Ministry Officials who investigated the scene said there was no wand found near his body. Did he fight back? Did he tell Lily to run? Did he try to punch Voldemort in the face? Did someone take his wand before the bodies were examined?

The spot on the burnt carpet where James had already died when the explosion happened was far less dark than the rest of it, almost resembling an outline of a body like in those Muggle shows Lily watched. 

It was closure, really, that Sirius needed here, besides his search for important items. He never got a chance to see the bodies, and he hadn’t looked at the house either. He hadn’t been back here since he took Harry, and he was too scared of putting the boy in harm’s way to stick around.

But Harry was with good people, strong and safe people, and Sirius needed a break, and he needed to see everything for himself.

Who gives a damn if You-Know-Who himself comes out of the ashes to kill him? At least the others will know where to look.

Sirius shook his head at his own train of thought. He needed to be more respectful of his own life and more responsible. He had a duty to protect Harry, and he can’t very well do that from beyond the grave.

He stepped over some familiar broken items – the broomstick he got Harry for his birthday, snapped in half, was both heartwarming and heartbreaking to see – to reach the stairway. He hesitated at the bottom; he had no idea what he was going to see, or what would be left of James and Lily’s room, or Harry’s. Would there be blood? Did Voldemort torture Lily first? The Aurors determined their causes of death to both be the Killing Curse, but they didn’t say much more than that.

But if there was a chance Sirius could find what he needed to find, that would be worth it. For Harry’s sake.

He squared his shoulders and walked up the stairs, his first destination being James and Lily’s room. He gently opened the door, and was pleasantly surprised to see that it wasn’t as destroyed as he feared it would be. Granted, the smaller items of furniture were almost unrecognizable, and the bed would never be usable again, but it wasn’t missing half a wall like Harry’s was (which he saw from the outside).

His eyes scanned the room, and he stepped over to James’ side of the bed, which was closest. He was both relieved and confused at the sight of James’ wand on the floor, almost concealed under the wreckage of the bed frame. He picked it up, and the coldness of the unused wand made his soul feel like it was cracking. It no longer had the same warm aura that James himself did; it was simply a neglected piece of wood that happened to have a core inside it.

Sirius wondered if it would ever cast a spell again.

He turned around, and he noticed with more relief that there was a reflection of light off of metal by their closet, on the wall close to the floor. He wondered just how competent the officials who investigated the scene were if they missed not only James’ wand, but his and Lily’s Muggle-style safe. 

Or perhaps they did notice it, and just couldn’t get in? He supposed he’d never know for sure.

He stepped over to it and took out his wand, crouching down waving it over the safe wordlessly. A short beeping sound, and the door to the safe cracked open as Lily’s charms identified Sirius’ wand as familiar. He swung it open and peered inside. 

He was glad to see that everything was still intact. He got onto his knees, reached in and pulled out everything onto his lap.

He picked up the first item on the pile: a photograph from their wedding, with both the bride and groom along with Sirius the best man, and Marlene McKinnon the maid of honour. It tore at his heart to see a photo of Marlene so happy and carefree when she had been killed not even two months before James and Lily did. 

He had loved Marlene. He really had. They hadn’t been in any rush to get married, but he was planning to propose on Christmas this year anyways. They had been together since their seventh year and he loved her. He wished with every part of his being that he had been there that night, when the Death Eaters and Voldemort himself had gone after her family. Instead he had been out on a mission for the Order, with Frank, and he had never forgiven himself – or Dumbledore, who gave the mission and who hadn’t had anybody protecting the McKinnons even after they had gotten direct threats – for it since.

But Merlin, he loved her. He could remember her laugh, her smile, the way she looked at him when he told her he loved her for the first time, the way she giggled when he and James would make silly faces at baby Harry…

The look on her face when he said he wanted to start a family with her.

“Sirius?”

A soft, familiar voice interrupted his thoughts, and his head whipped around to see Pandora standing in the doorway.

He hadn’t realized he was crying until she crossed the room to kneel in front of him, wiping his tears with a pastel blue handkerchief. In fact, he wasn’t really certain how long she had been standing there, because he didn’t know how long he had been lost in his memories of Marlene.

“You shouldn’t be here.” Pandora murmured. “You could have been attacked by Death Eaters, or worse…”

“I’m fine.” Sirius replied, a bit harsher than he intended to. “I’m sorry. I just needed to… I needed to see it, and I needed to get some things.”

She looked down at the photo in his hand, and she smiled sadly. “What a beautiful memory.”

He handed it to her, and she looked at it more while he spoke. “Lily looked so gorgeous in her wedding robes. They had been James’ mother’s, and they fit her like a glove. James wore these navy blue dress robes that had been his father’s, and it was wonderful.”

Pandora smiled again. “You really loved them.”

Sirius blinked at the photo. “I really did.”

They sat in silence for a few moments before Pandora glanced at the other things in his lap. She pointed at a large sealed envelope with the Potter family crest on it. “What’s that?”

“Oh…” Sirius picked it out of the pile. “This is what I came here for. It’s James and Lily’s will.”

Pandora frowned in confusion. “Wouldn’t that be kept at Gringott’s?”

He shook his head. “They didn’t have time. James had just told me they finalized it a week before they died. Even I don’t know what it says. It was witnessed and everything, but they didn’t get the chance to go through all the paperwork to get it stored at Gringott’s.”

Pandora gestured for it, and Sirius handed it to her. “We should bring it there, with Frank and Alice, and get things settled. Who knows what’s in it?”

“Yeah…” Sirius conjured a simple bag and put the rest of the pile into it. 

“Let’s head home, and we’ll go there this afternoon.” 

Sirius nodded, and they walked out into the hallway. Pandora headed to the stairwell and was about to go down before she realized Sirius wasn’t behind her. She turned, and he was standing by Harry’s door, staring into the room sadly.

Pandora said nothing, only moving to stand beside him and put her hand on his shoulder.

The room was very, very broken. The only thing still mostly standing was Harry’s crib, and that was because it had been made of Goblin silver; it was the same crib that had been used for four generations in the Potter family, who were well-respected by the Goblins. 

The spot where Lily’s body lay was also lighter but empty, and there was debris everywhere. None of Harry’s toys survived the wreckage, and there was nothing salvageable left.

“Let’s go home, Sirius.” Pandora said gently.

Sirius stayed silent, only turning away from the door and walking down the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to take guesses as to what is in the will; I guarantee you won't be able to LOL  
> Stay safe everyone!


	9. His Lineage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius, Augusta and the Lovegoods take James and Lily's will to Gringotts, and many unexpected things emerge.

“We could save some of that stuff, you know.” Xenophilius told Sirius as they sat in the kitchen waiting for Pandora and Augusta. “At the cottage. The crib, the safe, anything else you wanted to keep for Harry. Frank and I can go there and get it if you don’t want to go back.”

“I would appreciate that…” Sirius replied softly, staring at the will in his hands. “I can’t go back there, and I couldn’t stay any longer than I had. I wish I had taken more things, I hope they’re still there when you go.”

“We’ll go tomorrow, or even tonight if you want. I don’t mind.” Xenophilius smiled at the younger man, then turned towards the hallway. “Are you ladies ready?”

“Yes, darling.” Pandora swept into the room and planted a kiss on the top of Xenophilius’ head. “We were just helping Frank and Alice put Neville and Luna down for their naps.”

Xenophilius smiled, then stood up, offering her his arm. “Shall we?”

The pair headed towards the fireplace as Augusta stepped into the kitchen holding Harry.

“Sirius, my boy…” Augusta started. “Are you sure we want to do this now? We can wait a bit, let things settle more.”

“You know as well as I do that it would be a horrid idea to wait.” Sirius stood as well, still clutching the will. “We need to know what this says, and soon. Who knows what Dumbledore may cook up if we don’t?”

Augusta nodded solemnly. “I suppose that’s true.”

They followed Xenophilius and Pandora in Flooing to the Leaky Cauldron, covering Harry’s face with a small hooded cloak so as to draw much less attention than would be expected of an already noteworthy child, who stood up to the Dark Lord not even two weeks ago and survived the Killing Curse…

Sirius shuddered to think about how much attention the boy would get at Hogwarts in a decade.

After a very brief conversation with Tom the Barkeep, who noted he still couldn’t talk about Lily Potter without crying (which he definitely wasn’t lying about; Pandora had to tell him to keep the handkerchief she gave him because it was too soaked to take back), they managed to make their way through the very crowded pub (damn their decision to come here on a Monday) into Diagon Alley.

“I wonder what I should do with James’ wand.” Sirius thought out loud as they passed by Ollivander’s to one side, uncharacteristically ignoring Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour on his other side. “Should I bring it back to Ollivander or something?”

“There’s no use for a wand without a wizard, Mr Black.” 

Sirius and both Lovegoods nearly jumped out of their shoes in fright as they heard Garrick Ollivander’s voice reply mystically from beside them. Augusta, being a veteran witch from the Grindelwald times, was not so easily startled, and already knew he was there.

“If Mr Potter’s wand will no longer produce any power, then it is about as useful as a fork in a battle.” Ollivander continued from his seat in front of the ice cream parlour, looking rather odd eating a bowl of what appeared to be simple strawberry ice cream.

“Then what should we do with it?” Xenophilius asked. “Surely there’s some kind of sentimental thing we could do with it for Harry, so he has some piece of his father.”

“Harry…” Ollivander responded in a distant voice, staring at the bundle in Augusta’s arms. “Yes, the boy… I wonder… But too soon to tell…” He seemed to snap out of whatever zone he was in, and looked back at Xenophilius. “Yes, I believe there may be one thing… But it may not work. You see, there is a tradition among the Ollivander family where the first wand that we ever whittle gets transfigured into a small houseplant, but that’s without a core. I don’t suppose how it would ever work with a cored wand, but if it’s no longer producing magic then it may be essentially coreless anyways.”

“Would you do that for us? Please?” Sirius asked with a pleading voice.

Ollivander looked directly into Sirius’ eyes, something that always made the man feel uncomfortable. It wasn’t the eye contact, it was Ollivander himself; he found the man far too wise and also far too creepy for his own good, and always had a sneaking suspicion the wandmaker was also a natural Legilimens. 

“Do you have it with you?” Ollivander raised an eyebrow.

To the surprise of the rest of his party, Sirius reached into his cloak and pulled out James’ wand.

“You still had it on you?” Pandora asked incredulously.

“Yeah.” Sirius answered simply. “Didn’t know how to let it go.”

Ollivander took it from Sirius’ outstretched hand and examined it closely. “Oh… Oh Merlin… Oh this is a sad wand… Very sad… It feels empty… Soulless…” Ollivander shook his head and set the wand down on the table beside his ice cream bowl, staring at it silently for a moment before turning back to Sirius. “This wand will never produce any magic again. I think perhaps it would be best off as a houseplant. Happier. More free and less broken.”

“Thank you, Mr Ollivander.” Sirius said sincerely.

Ollivander waved his hand nonchalantly. “Oh, don’t thank me yet Mr Black. I haven’t done anything. I’m still not certain it will work.”

“We have to go to Gringotts, Mr Ollivander, but we might be there for a few hours. Can we stop by when we are done to see how it’s going?” Pandora asked.

“Yes, of course.” Ollivander replied almost dismissively as he picked up the wand again and started running his fingers along the details. “Best of luck with the Goblins.”

The group took that as their cue to leave, and so they did, rather hastily. 

“I never quite understood him. A rather odd man, that Ollivander.” Xenophilius said to no one in particular.

Sirius made eye contact with Augusta and both had to stop themselves from laughing out loud.

* * *

“So, the Potter will.” 

Ragnok, the Head Goblin, peered at them over half-moon spectacles that Sirius wasn’t sure the goblin actually needed because he never seemed to look through them. 

“Sirius knew where to find it in the Potter’s house, but they hadn’t come here with it yet.” Augusta explained.

Ragnok raised an eyebrow at her, then turned his attention back to Sirius. “Is it still sealed?”

“Yes, sir.”

“There’s no need to call me sir, Mr Black. Just call me Ragnok.”

Sirius didn’t reply, only extending the hand with the sealed will over the desk.

Ragnok took it from him, examined the seal for a moment, and turned to the sour-faced goblin standing next to him. “Nagnok, we’re going to need someone who specializes in the wills of Pureblood families. These wizards can get real finicky about their things.” He grinned a bit nastily at his companion, who didn’t respond. “Get Gornuk in here, will you?”

Nagnok nodded wordlessly, and stepped out of the room. Not a moment later, the door swung open again and Nagnok was accompanied by a younger, slightly less sullen-looking goblin.

“The Potter will?” Gornuk said. “Ah, well this will be rather interesting, won’t it?”

“Indeed.” Ragnok grinned again. “Rather more to see how the wizards take the information.”

“What information?” Pandora asked.

“Patience.” Ragnok snapped. “It will come.”

The goblins set the will down on the desk, and Gornuk waved his hand over the seal. The wax cracked perfectly in half, and Ragnok opened the parchment.

_The Last Will and Testament of Lily Juliet Potter [nee Evans] and Jameson Charlus Potter_

_with respect to all properties and assets owned by Lily Potter and Jameson Potter at the time of their deaths, and with respect to the guardianship and lineage of Harold Jameson Potter, their son and heir_

_We hereby revoke all prior wills and testamentary dispositions made by one or both of us, and do declare this to be our last will and testament as of October the Twenty-Seventh in the year Nineteen Eighty-One_

  1. _All ownership and possession of our properties and assets, with the exception of items designated to individuals listed in this will, is to be given to our son and heir Harold Jameson Potter at the time he reaches the age of majority_
  2. _Should our son Harold Potter not be of the age of majority at the time of our deaths, the guardian or guardians of our son (designated below) will have rights over these that we possess, but do not have any right to use or sell these possessions unless approved by one or more of the other guardians, and any money used or gained from their sale is only to be used for the benefit and wellbeing of our son Harold Potter_
  3. _The guardianship of our son and heir Harold Jameson Potter is to be as follows:_
    1. _Sirius Orion Black III – to be given first priority in any emergency and full primary custody of our son Harold Potter in the event of our deaths_
    2. _Frank Castor Joseph Longbottom and Alice Catherine Longbottom [nee Macmillan] – to be given second priority in any emergency and, if needed, custody of our son Harold Potter, or to be given first priority and full primary custody if Sirius Orion Black III is unable to fulfill his duties_
    3. _Augusta Josephine Longbottom [nee Fawley] – to be given third priority in any emergency and decision rights over our son Harold’s wellbeing and the use of our assets for his benefit, or to be given second or first priority in emergency and secondary or full primary custody if Sirius Orion Black III and Frank Castor Joseph Longbottom and Alice Catherine Longbottom are unable to fulfill their duties_
    4. _Xenophilius John Lovegood and Pandora Ceres Lovegood [nee Greengrass] – to be given fourth priority in any emergency and decision rights over our son Harold’s wellbeing and the use of our assets for his benefit, or to be given second or first priority in emergency and secondary or full primary custody if Sirius Orion Black III, Frank Castor Joseph Longbottom and Alice Catherine Longbottom, and Augusta Josephine Longbottom are unable to fulfill their duties_
    5. _Severus Tobias Snape – to be given fifth priority in any emergency and decision rights over our son Harold’s wellbeing and the use of our assets for his benefit, or to be given second or first priority in emergency and secondary or full primary custody if Sirius Orion Black III, Frank Castor Joseph Longbottom and Alice Catherine Longbottom, Augusta Josephine Longbottom, and Xenophilius John Lovegood and Pandora Ceres Lovegood are unable to fulfill their duties_
    6. _Amelia Margaret Helena Bones – to be given sixth priority in any emergency and decision rights over our son Harold’s wellbeing and the use of our assets for his benefit, or to be given second or first priority in emergency and secondary or full primary custody if Sirius Orion Black III, Frank Castor Joseph Longbottom and Alice Catherine Longbottom, Augusta Josephine Longbottom, Xenophilius John Lovegood and Pandora Ceres Lovegood, and Severus Edmund Snape are unable to fulfill their duties_
  4. _Under no circumstances is guardianship of our son and heir Harold Jameson Potter to be awarded to Peter Jonas Pettigrew, Petunia Rose Dursley [nee Evans] and Vernon Nathaniel Dursley, or Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_
  5. _If any circumstances should arise that find all of the approved guardians unable to fulfill their duties, then the priority of guardianship of our son and heir Harold Jameson Potter is to be determined by blood relation to either Lily Juliet Potter or Jameson Charlus Potter, with the exception of Petunia Rose Dursley and Vernon Nathaniel Dursley, or any blood relation to Jameson Charlus Potter that has ever been formally accused of being a follower of the Dark Lord Voldemort_
  6. _In the event that no blood relation should be found, determination and priority of guardianship shall be left to certain trusted individuals, but guardianship shall not be awarded to these individuals unless there are no other viable options, and these individuals must agree upon a guardian with majority rules:_
    1. _Kingsley Zachariah Shacklebolt_
    2. _Alastor Tyron Moody_
    3. _Aberforth Uriel Vincent Dumbledore_
    4. _Remus John Lupin_
    5. _Horace Wesley Slughorn_
    6. _Minerva Flora Isobel McGonagall_
  7. _To Remus John Lupin, Jameson Charlus Potter leaves his collection of all Zonko’s products, in the hopes that Remus will remember to create and experience happiness when peace is gone_
  8. _To Pandora Ceres Lovegood, Lily Juliet Evans leaves all her Muggle book collections, in the hopes that Pandora will experience the same joy they brought her as a child and spread that joy to her daughter, Luna Lucina Lovegood_
  9. _To Frank Castor Joseph Longbottom and Alice Catherine Longbottom, Jameson Charlus Potter and Lily Juliet Potter leave their collection of ancient Muggle artwork, in the hopes that it will liven up their home, Longbottom Manor, in the same way it did their own_
  10. _To Severus Tobias Snape, Lily Juliet Potter leaves all of her houseplants, in the hopes that they will bring light to his life where he needs it most_
  11. _To Severus Tobias Snape, Jameson Charlus Potter leaves his own personal copy of Libatius Borage’s_ Advanced Potion Making _, and a copy of Fleamont Potter’s_ Potion Making for Masters _from the Potter family library, in the hopes that Severus will forgive Jameson his past endeavors and explore his unrivaled knack for potions that Jameson only ever saw in his own grandfather before_
  12. _To Sirius Orion Black III, Jameson Charlus Potter and Lily Juliet Potter leave their greatest possessions, their wands and their wedding rings, as well as any book in the Potter family library that Sirius feels could be useful in the education and upbringing of their son and heir Harold Jameson Potter_
  13. _To Peter Jonas Pettigrew, in the event that he betrays Jameson Charlus Potter and Lily Juliet Potter to the followers of the Dark Lord Voldemort, Jameson Charlus Potter leaves a magically extended bag of dragon dung that can be found in the Potter family vault, to remind him what a piece of crap he is_
  14. _To Peter Jonas Pettigrew, in the event that he betrays Jameson Charlus Potter and Lily Juliet Potter to the followers of the Dark Lord Voldemort, Lily Juliet Potter leaves a bag of thirty silver sickles that can be found in the Potter family vault, to remind him forever that he is a traitor of the highest order_
  15. _Under no circumstances are any betrothal contracts or arranged marriages to be made involving our son and heir Harold Jameson Potter without the approval of at least three of the approved guardians in item 3 and at least two of the trusted individuals listed in item 6, nor can they be made before Harold is of age to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, nor can he be married before he comes of age, nor can they be to someone Harold himself does not approve of, for his parents Jameson Charlus Potter and Lily Juliet Potter wish for him to be married to someone he loves just as they were_
  16. _We hereby declare this last will and testament to be true and accurate to our wishes, and that any dispute in regards to these items are to be brought forth before the Wizengamot, with our representative being one or more of our son and heir Harold Jameson Potter’s designated guardians_



_In witness of which we have set our hands to this will this twenty-seventh day of October in the year nineteen eighty-one,  
Jameson Charlus Potter  
Lily Juliet Potter [nee Evans]  
Witness: Amelia Margaret Helena Bones  
Secondary Witness: Kingsley Zachariah Shacklebolt_

Several minutes of silence followed the echo of Ragnok reading out Kingsley’s full name at the very end of the will, with the Lovegoods staring at Sirius, Augusta staring at the parchment, and Sirius staring at the wall, all four now with drying tear stained faces.

“James’ name was Jameson?” Augusta broke the silence.

“I thought everyone knew that.” Sirius replied.

“And Harry’s real name is Harold?” Augusta continued.

“Seriously, I thought everyone knew that one too. But enough about that…” Sirius smirked, turning to Xenophilius. “Your middle name is _John_?”

Pandora started giggling, and Xenophilius sighed. “My father was rather less creative than my mother, and named me after his childhood friend, John Prewett. My mother chose the name Xenophilius.”

Sirius joined Pandora in the giggle fit until Augusta gently smacked his arm. “Focus, Sirius.”

“Yes, sorry.” Sirius tried to straighten up, but could barely hold back his giggles.

Xenophilius turned his attention back to the goblins. “Ragnok, sir, may I ask – ”

“Don’t call me sir.”

“Sorry, Ragnok, erm…” Xenophilius looked a little flustered, but he continued. “In the will it states that there is to be given priority to blood relations of either Lily or James, but we have been lead to believe that every relative of Lily is dead other than her sister Petunia, and James’ last living relatives would be the Black family through his mother Dorea. Would there be – I mean, is there –”

“A way to see what lines he belongs to, who his family is?” Ragnok finished, and Xenophilius nodded. Ragnok grinned. “Of course. That’s why you bring wills here, bring orphans here, bring people with bad memory loss here. We have our charts, our incantations, our family trees… Many ways to show you young Mr Potter’s other family.”

“You mean you already know?” Pandora asked.

“We do. We needn’t tell you until you ask, so we needn’t show you until now.” Gornuk said.

“So can you? I mean, when can we find out?” Sirius had recovered from his giggles at the implication that somewhere there could be more Potters, or perhaps some relatives of Lily’s that they could find and involve in Harry’s life. 

Having come from such a large family, having so many cousins and uncles and aunties, Sirius couldn’t imagine having a childhood where there was no family around. Sure, Harry would have Sirius and the Longbottoms and the Lovegoods, but it wouldn’t be the same.

No, it would be best to find someone who was really related to Harry, who would be there for him simply because he was blood family, the same way his favourite uncle Alphard was there for him, or his cousin Andromeda, or even Bellatrix before she started going insane, or Narcissa before she met Lucius…

“We know now. We can show you now.” Ragnok’s nasty grin returned. “But are you certain you want the truth?”

“Of course!” Augusta replied almost snappily. “We asked and we want the answers!”

“Gornuk.” Ragnok commanded, and Gornuk pulled a piece of parchment out of seemingly nowhere to hand to Sirius.

_Harold Jameson Potter – son of Jameson Charlus Potter and Lily Juliet Potter [nee Evans]_

_Lord of the Noble House of Potter, upon death of Jameson Charlus Potter on October 31 1981, through paternal grandfather Charlus Fleamont Potter  
Member of the Noble House of Black through paternal grandmother Dorea Venus Potter [nee Black]_

_Heir of the Minor House of Grindelwald through maternal grandfather Ivan Gellert Percival Grindelwald  
Heir of the Minor House of Flitwick through maternal great-grandmother Juliet Cassandra Flitwick  
Heir of the Noble Goblin Family of Griphook through maternal grandmother Burga the Half-Gobliness_

Sirius looked up at the goblins incredulously. “What in the name of Merlin’s bloody left –”

“Sirius Orion Black, watch your language in front of Harry!” Augusta scolded. “Let me see that parchment.”

Augusta snatched it from his hands and the Lovegoods read it over her shoulder.

“Oh my…” Pandora murmured.

“You can’t be serious. This has got to be some sort of joke. Show me the real damned paper.” Sirius demanded.

“That is the real paper.” Ragnok responded. “We warned you may not be ready. Shocking, isn’t it? Young Mr Potter is part goblin, shocking indeed.”

“Forget that!” Sirius shouted. “He’s the heir to the minor house of – of _Grindelwald?!_ ”

“Indeed he is. That is what the paper says. The paper doesn’t lie.”

Sirius blinked at Ragnok, and he opened his mouth to retort, but his shock caught up to him, and the ground rushed up to meet him.

* * *

“Well, Nurmengard is certainly smaller than I expected it to be.” Xenophilius remarked lightly. “But Austria really is a lovely place, don’t you think?”

“It is, but we’re not here to sightsee, Xeno…”

Xenophilius sighed. “I know, Sirius, I’m just trying to lighten the mood.”

Sirius stared at his lone companion for a moment before turning back to the castle-like prison tower in front of them. “You stay outside, down with the aurors. I need to talk to him alone.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

Sirius ascended the stairs to the highest room by himself, thinking the whole way about how he was going to introduce himself, what he was going to say, how many questions he was going to demand answers to…

“Who are you?”

Sirius looked up from his feet, which he was staring at the entire time, to realize he had indeed reached the top of the stairs, and he was staring at the depressed, sunken face of Gellert Grindelwald himself, through a set of bars in the doorframe.

Every thought he had on the way up had vanished as soon as he laid eyes on the old man, so he simply held out a piece of parchment to him through the bars.

At first, Grindelwald didn’t move, but he slowly approached Sirius, and took the parchment from him, eyeing him warily.

He opened the parchment, and read it, and read it again, and again…

He finally looked up at Sirius in shock. “I have a great-grandson?”

Sirius nodded, and to his surprise, the former ‘darkest wizard of his time’ in front of him burst into tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, bet you didn't see that coming!! Any more thoughts or theories? Let me know in the comments!  
> Stay safe and wash your hands!!


	10. His Mistakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting Gellert Grindelwald is not what Sirius Black expected to do today, but there's definitely more surprises coming.

“So, Lord Grindelwald –” Sirius started.

“Please, boy, call me Gellert. That ‘Lord’ stuff means nothing to me anymore.” 

“Gellert… You didn’t know you had a great-grandson?”

“I didn’t even know I had a granddaughter.” Gellert replied, staring at the floor. “I thought Albus had killed them all.”

“Albus?”

“Dumbledore. I assume you know him, or of him. Everyone does.”

Sirius remained silent for a moment before he answered. “I thought I did, and now I’m not sure.”

Gellert gave the floor a grim smile. “You and me both.” He looked at Sirius directly. “What is your name, boy? You remind me of someone I knew when I was much younger.”

“Black. Sirius Black, son of Orion Black, grandson of Arcturus Black.”

“Black!” Gellert laughed out loud for the first time in decades. “Oh, Merlin’s balls, boy. I should have guessed. You are the spitting image of Arcturus’ brother Regulus.”

“I am?” Sirius had never really heard that before. Everyone always compared him to his grandfather, or to his father.

“Right down to the nose.” Gellert shook his head, still smiling. “I miss that boy. He was a wonderful drinking mate. How is he doing?”

“Erm, my great-uncle Regulus?”

“Yes, Reggy.”

“Er…” How on Earth did they end up here? “He died a long time ago. I never even met him.”

Gellert’s face fell. “Did he have any children?”

“No. He never married, never had kids. Died alone.” Sirius half-chuckled. “Father did always say I’d end up like him.”

“What, a handsome Black lad like you? If I was several decades younger, boy, you’d at least have a companion for the roads ahead, though I’m afraid there’s a bit of an obstacle when it comes to heirs in that regard.”

Truthfully, this was not the first time Sirius had been hit on by a man. However, he could definitely say it was the first time he had been hit on by a man who was older than his grandfather.

At the look on Sirius’ blushing face, Gellert let out another laugh. “I’m just teasing you, boy.” He looked back at the paper in his hands. “I need you to tell me more about this.”

“I was hoping you could help me fill in the blanks in my own knowledge.” Sirius responded, face still a little flushed. “I know the Potter side of things, and I know who Juliet Flitwick is – at least, I think I do. But I didn’t even know you had a son.”

Gellert smiled sadly, looking at the empty wall, lost in thought. “Ivan. Ivan Gellert Percival. My beloved boy.”

“Wasn’t Percival the name of Dumbledore’s father?”

“Yes. When Ivan was born, Albus and I were not quite yet enemies, though he had been furious that I had married a half-goblin woman. I thought by honouring his father – whom I had respected, despite his mistakes – I could bridge the gap.”

“Half-goblin? I thought…”

“That I was a blood supremacist, and that I hated half-breeds?” Gellert pursed his lips. “Most people did. Albus liked to paint me as more of a horrible wizard than I truly was. In reality, Albus was more about Pureblood superiority and a wizard-only magical world than I was. I had no real opinion about blood status, or about magical creatures. If one could do magic, one was worthy of respect. It’s the Muggles who were the biggest threat.” 

He looked Sirius directly in the eyes as he continued. “They’re scared of us, boy. Scared of what we can do. Scared of what we cannot do. They use us, abuse us, blame us for things we cannot control. They’re the worst kind of being, and they need to be stopped before they wipe us all out. That’s what my goal was. Not to wipe out Muggleborns, or Half-Bloods, or half-wizard folk. I didn’t care about that. It was the Muggles that were the problem. They probably still are.”

“They’re not all like that, Gellert.” Sirius replied. “I mean, I know a lot who are, but they aren’t all so bad. A classmate of mine at Hogwarts had Muggle parents, and they were very welcoming of the wizarding world. They were very supportive, and they loved Isabella as much as any wizard parents would.”

Gellert was quiet for a moment. “I have never met supportive Muggle parents. Any Muggleborn I’ve ever met has had abusive parents, and has had to escape them by going to school or wherever they could get away from them.”

“Lily’s parents weren’t the best.” Sirius remarked. “They weren’t abusive, but they weren’t fantastic.”

Gellert looked at the paper. “Lily Juliet? My granddaughter?” He looked back up. “You know her?”

“She was my best friend.” Sirius’ voice threatened to break. “Besides James, of course.”

“James…” Gellert looked at the paper again. “The late Jameson Potter? Charlus’ son?” Gellert chuckled. “Good girl, that Lily, marrying a Potter. I can’t wait to give her a pat on the back for that.”

“She’s gone too.”

Gellert’s eyes went wide, and his head snapped up to look at Sirius. “How?!”

“Voldemort. He killed her. James too. On Halloween.”

“Voldemort? That blood supremacist piece of rubbish with not nearly as nice of hair as mine who calls himself a Dark Lord?”

Sirius almost laughed. “That would be him.”

Gellert nearly crushed the paper in his fist, before stopping himself, remembering that the paper was still important. “I’ll kill the bastard myself.”

“You and me both.” Sirius parroted Gellert’s words from earlier. “He’s taken everything from me.”

“Just as Albus did to me.”

“Dum—Albus nearly took Harry too.”

“Where would he have gone? Are any of the Potters still alive?”

“No. Charlus and Dorea were killed by Voldemort when James and I were in our sixth year, and Fleamont and Euphemia died of Dragon Pox not long afterwards.”

“What a shame… Fleamont was a good man, and very attractive too. As was Euphemia, and their young son Charlus.” Gellert paused for a moment. “Wait, Dorea… That name sounds familiar. Wasn’t she of your house?”

“My mother’s aunt.” Sirius confirmed.

“So then Harry is related to you as well.”

“Yes… I have custody of him through not only that, but James and Lily’s will.” Sirius reached into his cloak and pulled out the will, handing it to Gellert.

Gellert took a moment to read through it, making a few comments along the way. “Longbottom… I knew a Longbottom, she was—Ah, Augusta. Fought with Dumbledore. Very feisty woman, very pretty… Lovegood, I think I knew his father John… Bones, yes, I know that name too…” Gellert let out a laugh. “No custody to Albus under any circumstance, eh? Good for them… Who is this ‘Petunia’?”

“Lily’s sister, though at this point I’m uncertain they’re actually related. She’s a Muggle, and was horrid to Lily when they were children because she was jealous that Lily had magic. She married a terrible sort of Muggle who is even worse than her.”

Gellert grumbled. “No great-grandson of mine is going to grow up with Muggle filth.”

“He won’t, ever. Lily and James sought to it. Like I said, I have full custody.”

“Good.” Gellert continued reading. “Oh, Shacklebolt, I knew his aunt, very nice lady, liked to make tea all the time… Aberforth? He’s still around?” Gellert shook his head with a smile. “I’m surprised Albus hasn’t arranged an accident for him yet, or hasn’t just outright killed him like he killed my son.”

“What exactly happened to your son, Gellert?”

Gellert stopped reading the will and looked at Sirius sadly. “Quite a few years ago, around 1971 or so, Albus came here to tell me he’d finally found where my son had been hiding all that time. He bragged that he’d killed him, and his wife, and their unborn child… I guess he purposely didn’t tell me that they’d already had an infant daughter.”

“Lily.”

Gellert nodded. “I can only guess what Albus did from there… Evans is the name of a Squib family member of his. Perhaps he gave her to them to raise, hoping she would never know where she came from.”

“What ever became of Juliet, your wife?”

“Ah, Juliet…” Gellert sighed. “I may be what we called ‘bisexual’ back then, but she always was and always will be the love of my life.”

“You used that term back then, too?” Sirius asked. “I thought that was a new thing.”

“Oh no, my boy. I learned that term from my Aunt Bathilda. I went visiting her one summer, and that’s where I met Albus. I thought he was just the cutest thing ever, and I was confused because I’d already liked girls. I asked her about it, and she told me all about it. She was the only family member I had that was accepting that I ended up having a relationship with Albus.”

“Wait… what?” Sirius nearly choked on air. This was far beyond anything he’d ever heard from his grandfather or from Dumbledore himself.

Gellert’s eyes narrowed. “I assume Albus doesn’t like to disclose that particular information. He became afraid of being associated with me, and he was always afraid of being seen as ‘the queer boy’. He hated being public with our relationship, and after one time that Aberforth brought a girl from Hogwarts over and they caught us snogging, he never wanted to do anything.”

“I’m so sorry. I had no idea he’d hurt you so badly.”

“Does it really surprise you that Albus could be so heartless?”

“I –” Sirius thought about everything that had happened over the last few weeks, and thought back even further to little instances that made him and James start to distrust Dumbledore. “No, it doesn’t.”

“He’s always been that way, my boy. He will never change.”

Sirius stayed silent.

“I met Juliet at a bar in London called the Leaky Cauldron. I was there with Aberforth, though Albus had ditched us again, and we met her and her little brother Filius while she was bringing him shopping for his first year of Hogwarts.”

“Filius?” Sirius started chuckling. “So Filius Flitwick is really your brother-in-law?”

“You know Filius? He’s still alive?”

“He’s the Charms professor at Hogwarts.”

Gellert smiled. “Good for Filly… Jules always had big dreams for that boy.”

“Jules, your wife?”

“Yes. We all called her that. She wasn’t a big fan of being called her full name until we got older, but we still called her Jules anyways.”

“James hated his full name too.”

“Sometimes names are too long, or have bad memories, or just sound too formal. I assume you don’t go by Sirius Orion regularly?”

“Of course not.” 

“Exactly. Names are complicated things.”

“So, back to Juliet…” Sirius prompted.

“Yes, of course. I asked if I could buy her a drink, and she said no because she was with her brother, but if I came back the next night I could.”

“Did you?”

“Damn right I did. I came back the next night and she was with some of her girl friends, and she seemed surprised that I actually returned. I bought her a drink, and we talked, and… well, we were married a year later.”

“And Albus? How did he feel?”

“Like I said before, he was furious. Not only did I ‘betray him’ by marrying someone else, even though we had broken it off but I was a ‘traitor’ for marrying a half-goblin. Years later, after trying for so long, he was even more furious when Juliet finally had a son, our Ivan.”

“And Ivan married a half-goblin too?”

“Half-goblin women are notoriously attractive, you know. Ever met one?” Gellert smirked.

“No, I can’t say that I have.” Sirius answered.

“They’re beautiful, honestly. The difficulty with half-goblin women is that they often struggle to conceive. I’m sure Ivan and Burga had the same troubles that Juliet and I did, especially since Ivan himself was a quarter goblin, and half-goblin men are usually infertile.”

“I had no idea. It’s probably a miracle that they nearly had two children.”

“Indeed… Does Filius have any children?” Gellert asked suddenly.

“I don’t even think he’s married.”

“What a shame. Filius was such a sweet boy, I’m sure he could have had any witch he wanted.”

“He was a very good professor.” Sirius offered. “And seemed like a good man.” 

“If he’s anything like he was 35 years ago, then he certainly is.” 

Sirius stayed silent again.

Gellert looked back at the will. “Who is ‘Peter Pettigrew’?”

Sirius’ face scrunched up in fury and his hands balled into fists. “He was James and Lily’s Secret Keeper since Voldemort was targeting them. None of us had any idea he was on their side, but I suppose James and Lily suspected something based on their will.” So

Gellert read the bottom part of the item delegations and started cackling. “Oh, my dear Lily, you picked a wonderful partner, and grew up to be just like your father. This is wonderful, the dung and the sickles.”

Sirius grinned. “Yeah, they were always like that.”

Gellert handed the will and the lineage parchment back to Sirius. “When can I meet him? My great-grandson?”

“I could bring him up here to meet you whenever you’d like. Or, if you promise not to murder anybody, I can try to get you out under supervision.”

“Murder anybody? Why do you think I’m in here?”

“Erm… Murder?”

“Not quite, my boy. You see, Albus and I had this idea… About the ‘Greater Good’ of the wizarding world. We wanted to control the Muggles, to make wizards and magic-using folk above the ones who couldn’t use magic. There were a surprising number of wizards who agreed with us, and it started getting a bit of a following. Ultimately, though, Albus and I got into disputes about who was worthy and who was not… Muggleborns, goblins, centaurs, Half-Bloods, giants, half-breeds… and we broke apart. Those who followed his ideology were louder and more destructive, and they started getting out of his control. He washed his hands of them, and anything they did, he blamed on me. I tried to control them, but I lost my own followers in the process. Eventually it came to me versus Albus.”

Gellert’s eyes were filling with tears as he continued. “I didn’t want to fight him. I just wanted all the death and chaos to end. I wanted the world to go back to what it was. But he loudly and publicly declared that everything had been my fault, my doing, my followers. Since they were all dead, I had nobody to defend me but Juliet.”

“Did Albus kill her?”

Gellert shook his head. “I still don’t know if it was the supremacists or the Aurors. Either way, he is responsible for it, but he didn’t do it himself.”

“So you confronted him.”

“I did. And we duelled. And I lost, because I was so emotionally compromised that I could barely cast anything but shield charms.”

“We were always told that you were in here for inciting violence and for murder.”

Gellert shook his head again. “I definitely made some mistakes in my day, my boy. But I never wanted to hurt anybody. I just wanted my people to stop being so afraid to exist.”

Sirius made up his mind in that exact moment. “Gellert… I’m going to get you out of here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am in the camp of 'the early early headcanon that Charlus and Dorea Potter were James' parents and were killed by Voldemort/his followers, and that Fleamont and Euphemia were his grandparents is still a fun and valid headcanon' and I will die on this hill.  
> There's a lot of dialogue in this chapter, but it's a mostly history/storyline chapter, so that's why. Apologies if you hate the way I write dialogue, because I also hate it.  
> Anyway, I know this goes against a lot of canon about Grindelwald, and there's a lot of points to this story that will stray from canon. But that's the fun of fanfiction, right?  
> Stay safe and wear your masks!


	11. Miss Her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little Christmas gathering makes us miss the people we loved the most, doesn't it?

_Christmas, 1983_

“Uncle Filly!” Harry yelled in delight, running up to the half-goblin with his arms open for a hug.

Flitwick laughed and hugged the young child, who was well over halfway to being as tall as him.

“Professor! We weren’t expecting you yet.” Sirius smiled as he approached the fireplace that Flitwick just came out of.

“Oh Sirius, I believe I told you two years ago to stop calling me Professor.”

“And I believe I told you two years ago that I’ll only stop calling you Professor when you stop teaching.”

“That, my dear boy, will never happen.”

“Then I suppose we’re at an impasse.” Sirius smirked as Harry tugged on his robes. He scooped Harry up and the boy began playing with his godfather’s hair. “Come on in, Alice just got Neville up from a nap, and Gellert and I are working on dinner.”

“That’s the part I was counting on.” Flitwick teased. “I have to say, I greatly missed Gellert’s cooking all these years.”

“It still surprises me that he married your sister.” Sirius admitted as they made their way to the kitchen. “Is it rude to say I didn’t think you were that old?”

“Only to Gellert.” Flitwick laughed, and Sirius joined him. “It’s alright, my boy. Goblins and even half-goblins have a longer lifespan than wizards, of course, but Jules was quite a bit older than I was. I was… unplanned.” 

If Sirius had been drinking anything, he would have spat it out. “Ah… Unplanned? I can’t say I know many people who were unplanned other than Remus.”

“Oh, you’d be surprised!” Flitwick stated. “Purebloods may always intend to reproduce, but sometimes it happens a bit sooner than expected. Have you every thought about the not-so-large gap between Augusta and her husband’s wedding anniversary and Frank’s birthday?”

“Sir!” Sirius blurted, becoming flushed. “I didn’t really want to think about it.”

“I’m just saying…” Flitwick shrugged as they entered the kitchen.

“What are you saying, Filly?” Gellert asked playfully, looking rather unthreatening in Augusta’s watermelon-patterned kitchen apron. “It better not be anything about me, unless it’s how amazing I am.”

“Gel, you’re unbelievable, as always.” Flitwick chuckled.

“Filius!” Augusta swept into the room with a smile, bending down to give a hug to the Charms professor. “We weren’t expecting you so early!”

“Apologies, Augusta. I figured I would come to visit a bit before everyone else got here.”

“Everyone else?” Augusta turned to Sirius with a raised eyebrow. “I thought only Filius and the Lovegoods were coming.”

“Well…” Sirius looked sheepish. “We may or may not have a few more guests on our list?”

“Sirius Orion, how many people are you inviting into my house for Christmas dinner without telling me?” Augusta lectured.

“Merlin, Augusta, you are simply stunning when you are angry.” Gellert noted from the sidelines. He rested his chin on his hand, elbow on the counter. “Are you certain you wouldn’t like to go for a drink at the Cauldron? We could go up to the rooms afterwards and – ”

“Not now, Gellert.” Sirius cut him off, looking flushed again.

“Not _ever_ , Gellert.” Augusta added, rolling her eyes with an uncharacteristic giggle. “As I tell you every time you ask.”

“I’m a man known for my stubbornness.” Gellert shrugged, returning to the cooking.

“That’s an understatement.” Flitwick piped in.

The group laughed, including Harry in Sirius’ arms even though he understood nothing of the conversation; he was simply amused by everyone else laughing.

After a few more minutes of catching up, Sirius handed Harry off to Augusta and shooed her and Flitwick out of the kitchen so that he and Gellert could finish dinner.

“So, Augusta,” Flitwick started, playing with Harry’s toes and making him giggle as they walked into the lounge. “Does Gel really try to ask you to get drinks with him often?”

“Oh, just playfully.” Augusta waved his question off. “I know he doesn’t mean it. He talks about Juliet so often I think he may forget she’s gone sometimes.”

Flitwick smiled sadly as they sat down. “Sometimes I do too.”

“What was she like, Filius? Your sister?” Augusta let Harry down on the floor, and he began wandering around the room, picking up different things and examining them or asking their names.

“Ah, Jules was a wonderful woman. Half-goblin, like me, but we were not full siblings. We had the same father, but a different mother.”

“Which side –”

“– was the goblin? Our mothers. They were sisters.” Flitwick stated.

Augusta looked shocked. “So your father…”

“Oh, no, he didn’t have an affair or anything. You see, Juliet’s mother was a spectator at a goblin battle for honour – that’s Uncle Frank’s _wand holster_ , Harry – when it went horribly wrong and several goblins were killed in the crossfire. She was one of them. Juliet was 28 when it happened – not very old at all to a half-goblin.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that.” Augusta said sincerely.

“My father was devastated. He was lost in his grief, and so was her sister. One night they got very drunk together to cope and…” Flitwick shrugged with a sarcastic smile. “Out I came nine months later.”

“How did the family treat you – put that down, Harry – being conceived like that?”

“Oh, I was adored by the family, especially on my mother’s side. I was made the heir, you see, being a male. There hadn’t been a male born into that family for three generations. It had become a matriarchal family, but those didn’t hold up well in goblin society back then and they had been shunned. I brought the family back their honour. Juliet should have resented me for it, but she never did. She was the most supportive person in my life. She even took me shopping for my Hogwarts supplies every year.”

“How did she die? Gellert never talks about it and I’ve never wanted to ask.”

Flitwick’s face became dark. “I had been told for years that it was Gellert himself who killed her. I had such a hard time believing it, because Gellert had adored my sister the way any good man adores his wife. He doted on her hand-and-foot, he praised everything she did, and he never resented her for taking over half a decade to conceive him a child despite how badly he wanted to carry on his family name. I never thought he could ever do anything to hurt her, but that’s what Albus told me.”

“Albus told you that?”

He nodded. “In reality, it was either Aurors or some of the blood supremacists who used to follow Albus who killed her. Gellert never hurt her.”

Augusta barely looked shocked this time, and had completely stopped taking notice of the toddler running around the lounge except to stop him playing with fragile things. “Gellert told me Albus had killed his son and daughter-in-law, but he never mentioned any of this. It wouldn’t have surprised me if Albus himself had killed Juliet.”

Flitwick shook his head. “Albus didn’t touch her. But Gellert blames himself, as well as Albus, for Juliet’s death. It happened shortly before Gellert was imprisoned, and was one of the charges brought against him, even though it was the reason Gellert had confronted Albus in the first place. The murder of Juliet Flitwick… Nobody knew she was his wife except myself and Albus. The wizarding world back then shunned half-breeds, and shunned even harder people who married them. Their children were considered abominations.”

“I remember the whispers people had when you became the Charms professor.” Augusta reminisced. “It was just awful.”

“I have no doubt. Wizards and witches were so horrid back then that Ivan’s very existence was kept hush from our world. He never went to Hogwarts, though Gellert and Juliet taught him many things. Eventually he went to live with goblin relatives. I couldn’t take him in myself. I was too young and too unreliable, since I had only just graduated Hogwarts a year earlier and I was travelling abroad. Travelling and working with our goblin family was how, eventually, Ivan met Burga the Half-Gobliness, daughter of Griphook and his late wife. I think she had been a half-blood witch, but neither Ivan nor I had ever met her, and Burga was about a decade older than Ivan anyways.”

“And Ivan and Burga… they’re Lily’s real parents?”

“Yes. Albus killed them while Gellert was in Nurmengard, while Lily was still a baby.”

Augusta stayed silent for a moment. She was about to ask more questions, but they were interrupted by Xenophilius and Pandora walking into the room and declaring their presence with loud greetings. Luna – who had insisted on walking by herself – toddled in behind them and ran straight for Harry, who had been spinning Alice’s favourite globe as fast as his little three-year-old hands could. She slapped her hands down on the globe to stop it spinning, and both toddlers giggled like madmen.

“Oh, we have wonderful news to share at dinner!” Pandora smiled brightly as they plopped down onto the couch opposite Augusta and Filius. “I hope everyone is here soon.”

“Alright, who is this ‘everyone’?” Augusta insisted. “Sirius told me last week that since it wasn’t his house, he was only inviting Gellert, Filius, and you three.” 

“Gellert is already here?” Xenophilius asked.

“Of course he is. He’s helping Sirius prepare dinner.”

“Well, then, we’re nearly complete. All we need is –”

“Sirius, dear, your favourite cousin is here!” A familiar voice called out from the front door.

The shout was followed by the sounds of what could only be described as ‘Sirius losing his marbles’ as he scrambled out of the kitchen making happy noises, running down the hallway and into the woman’s waiting arms.

The group in the lounge all got up to peek outside, and they found Andromeda Tonks having swept Sirius into a large bear hug, twirling him around.

“Andi!” Sirius yelled playfully. “Put me down!”

“Never!” She insisted with a laugh, but puts him down anyways. Ted, holding little Nymphadora, walked in behind her, and Sirius embraced them as well.

“Andromeda!” Pandora exclaimed in a singsong voice, gliding over to the woman to hug her as well. “How wonderful to see you again!”

“Dora! How’s the –”

“Shh, not now!” Pandora placed a hand over Andromeda’s mouth with a giggle.

“Okay, okay, sworn to Healer’s secrecy.” Andromeda winked.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at Pandora. “What’s going on?”

“Dora, what are you hiding?” Alice came up behind Sirius with Neville in her arms, placing her free hand on her hip with a grin.

“Nothing at all, Nosy.” Pandora stuck her tongue out at Sirius.

“Hey, this is my party! I get to be nosy!”

“And this is my house!” Alice declared.

“I believe this is _my_ house!” Augusta corrected. “But I, too, want to know!”

“What are we wanting to know?” Frank asked as he and Gellert enter the hall.

“Oh, well. Since we’re all standing here anyways…” Pandora sighed.

Sirius looked at the front door almost expectantly, then turned his attention back to Pandora, looking slightly crestfallen. Nobody seems to take notice except Gellert.

“I’m pregnant!” Pandora declared, throwing her hands in the air in excitement.

All the adults began cheering, and they all started congratulating Pandora and Xenophilius loudly.

The excitement and loud noises were overwhelming to little Luna, still in the lounge with Harry, and she began to cry. 

Sirius was the first to react, sweeping in to scoop her up in one arm and, at Harry’s insistence, Harry in the other. “I’ll take them somewhere quiet.”

Pandora nodded at him gratefully, and Sirius took them into the room with the fireplace. 

He set Harry down on the couch and sat beside him with Luna still on his lap as she made little sniffling sounds.

After a few minutes, she calmed down enough that she and Harry began playing with the tassels on Alice’s favourite throw pillows, but Sirius knew she wouldn’t mind.

The thought of Pandora having another child was amazing, truly. Children were a miracle and a gift to the world. But he had been hit with a wave of emotions with the news. It had made him miss Marlene terribly, worse than he had in the last two years. He wished so much that it was her declaring her pregnancy, her by his side, her still alive…

A gentle knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. 

“Sirius?” Gellert stepped into the room softly. “What’s wrong, my boy?”

“I…” He knew Gellert would understand without telling him to just ‘get over it’. “I just miss Marlene a lot. I wish she was here.”

Gellert nodded solemnly. “I understand.” Sirius had talked about his partner before, and Gellert felt so much sorrow for how much this boy had suffered in such a short life.

He sat beside Sirius, and they stared at the fireplace in silence. 

Minutes passed without any conversation. They didn’t need it, really. Grindelwald had all but adopted Sirius as his grandson in the last two years since Sirius managed to get him out of Nurmengard – which he still wouldn’t entirely explain, just wink and say he had ‘connections’ – and they had grown comfortable with one another.

The moment was very rudely interrupted by a flash of the fireplace, and a figure appearing to step out of it.

Both men leaped to their feet in surprise, and both men almost nearly fainted at the sight of the familiar face.

“Hello, Sirius.” Arcturus Black gave a nod to his grandson before turning to Gellert. “Gellert. I thank you for the invitation to dinner tonight. It truly is wonderful to see you again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa, our friendly neighbourhood Cow is uploading more than once in a two week period?! What a surprise!  
> I hope everyone is feeling as good as I am right now, I got a lot done this week and I'm ahead of schedule in my classes! Stay safe my lovely folks!!


	12. Beloved Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arcturus turns up unexpectedly, and is as cold to Sirius as ever. He resents his grandson, but why?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains strong mentions of homophobia and suicide.

“Arcturus!” Gellert exclaimed in delight, opening his arms for a hug. “It’s great to see you, old friend!”

Arcturus accepted, and returned, the hug stiffly and formally, acting as Sirius had always remembered him. “The pleasure is mine.”

Gellert holds his friend at arms’ length, clapping his shoulders, grinning and staring at him. “Merlin’s beard, Arc, you’ve gotten old.”

Arcturus didn’t even crack a smile. “So have you, Gellert. It’s been several decades since I last saw you.”

Gellert’s face didn’t falter. “And yet we could still woo whichever ladies we want, right Arc?”

Still no expression change. “I suppose we could.”

Gellert suddenly turned somber. “I am truly sorry to hear about Reg, Arcturus. I really liked your brother.”

“So did I.” Arcturus’ face almost betrayed emotion for a moment, but it returned to its natural state, which made him seem irritated at the world at any given moment.

“Arc… What happened to you?” Gellert’s eyebrows furrowed, and his hands slipped from his friend’s shoulders to his hands, bringing them up to chest level and holding them comfortingly. “You’re not nearly the man I remember.”

“He’s always been like this.” Sirius cut in, and both men looked at him: Gellert in surprise, and Arcturus in a mix of guilt and anger. Sirius maintained eye contact with Gellert, not daring to look his grandfather in the eyes. “So long as I can remember, this is exactly how he has acted my entire life.”

“What happened, Arc?” Gellert repeated, looking back at the man he used to know.

Arcturus’ angry face turned to Gellert and grew colder. “Did you invite me here to interrogate me, Gellert?” 

“Invite you? I didn’t invite you.” Gellert said sincerely. “I had no idea you were coming.”

“I invited you.” Sirius admitted, and the men looked at him again. “I put Gellert’s name on the invitation because I knew you wouldn’t come if it had been mine.”

“You’re right, I wouldn’t have.” Arcturus spat. “You have some nerve inviting me here, boy, after the grief you put your parents through, driving them to madness!”

“That I put _them_ through?!” Sirius countered, raising his voice, forgetting about Luna and Harry on the couch. “What about the bullshit they put me through? The years of abuse and hatred, the slurs and the fists and the yelling and the curses, and not to mention what they did to me when they found out I was bisexual!” Sirius’ voice cracked, and he broke eye contact with his grandfather to look at the carpet.

“Wait, what?” Arcturus blanched. “What did they do to you, Sirius?”

“I…” Sirius shook his head, tears forming in his eyes. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Arcturus took his hands from Gellert’s now vice grip and stepped over to Sirius, putting one on his shoulder and one on his cheek. “Sirius, look at me.”

Sirius did, and for the first time in his entire life, he saw pity and affection in his grandfather’s face.

“I had no idea what was going on, you must believe me. I never raised my son to lay a hand on his children.”

“Father never hit me.” Sirius stated truthfully. “It was only ever Mother, and it was only ever me. Mother never touched Reg. But Father was still ruthless and cruel, and he may as well have hit me for how much he verbally abused me.”

“Oh, my boy, I am so sorry.”

Sirius could never recall getting a hug from his grandfather, even as a small child. But somehow, being in Arcturus’ embrace felt familiar and safe, much like James’ parents had felt. 

It broke him.

Sirius started sobbing into his grandfather’s shoulder, and Arcturus rubbed his grandson’s back as he murmured assuring words into his ear.

To Arcturus, it was just like comforting his brother Regulus. Their parents had been severely abusive, and Regulus was a rather fragile boy who would cry at any provocation. He didn’t want that to ever happen to someone he loved again, and had never hit Orion or his siblings or allow them to get violent with each other. He had never seen Orion or Walburga’s abuse towards Sirius, and hadn’t even seen the signs. He had, however, heard Orion and Walburga’s complaints about Sirius’ behaviour, and had seen for himself how angry and rebellious Sirius was. 

When Sirius was born, Arcturus had just lost his brother, and would soon also lose his beloved wife Melania to a rather nasty bout of Dragon Pox, which had surprised everyone considering most deaths from Dragon Pox were of wizards much older than they were. Arcturus was a hurt and grieving man, and Sirius’ deviant, rebelling behaviour right from the very beginning was angering for him, so he preferred to keep his distance to avoid hurting the boy. He knew that because of his upbringing, he had violent tendencies when he was pushed over the edge, and he had been living on the edge since Regulus died. Arcturus then lost his sister Lycoris when Sirius was five, and his closest living relatives were his son and grandsons, who no longer wanted anything to do with him. Sure, he had his daughter Lucretia, but ever since she married that Prewett boy, she had been very distant, refusing to speak with her brother and by extension her father. Even worse, he lost both his grandson Regulus and his son Orion within a year of each other. Walburga had claimed to Arcturus that Sirius was to blame for the heartbreak that killed Orion, because he had said horrible things to them about Regulus joining Voldemort, and had been part of the reason Regulus withdrew from the family when he joined, which caused Orion a large amount of mental anguish by losing his favourite son even before he died.

Hearing the news of their deaths, Arcturus withdrew, became introverted and angry, and hadn’t seen a living soul that wasn’t his single remaining House Elf in years. He resented Sirius for being the reason he no longer had a son or the boy who so resembled his namesake, but he had never had any reason to believe that Walburga was lying to him.

Until now, anyways.

He had never realized until now how much Sirius actually resembled Regulus just as much as little Regulus Junior, as Arcturus had called him, had done. Junior had been a sensitive boy much like Regulus, and Arcturus had suspicions for years that Junior would eventually come out as a homosexual just like Regulus had. That had been a major point of contention between Arcturus’ parents and their three children; Arcturus and Lycoris were supportive of their brother no matter how he wanted to live his life (honestly, he always assumed that Lycoris was also a homosexual, but she never said anything and he never felt it was his business to push her), but their parents were furious and nearly disowned him. It was only when Arcturus threatened to disown himself, which would have left his parents with no heir, that they let up somewhat. However, they were rather vocally boastful about having had Regulus’ lover killed shortly after he had stated his intent to move to a place where they could marry. It broke Regulus, and he had killed himself eight years to the day after that.

But hearing that his own son had been so horrible to Sirius, especially about Sirius’ sexuality, made Arcturus feel more protective and more angry than ever before. 

“My parents did the same things to us.” Arcturus admitted out loud, and Sirius’ sniffling stopped, and he looked up at his grandfather in surprise. “They were terribly abusive, and they were even worse to my brother when he admitted to his homosexuality.”

“Wait, great-uncle Regulus was gay?” Sirius repeated in surprise.

Arcturus nodded.

To Sirius’ surprise – though, thinking about it, he really shouldn’t have been surprised – Gellert also nodded. “I remember him telling me that he was going to tell his parents, and I remember how horribly it went.” Gellert let out a grim laugh. “I felt so angry for him that I offered to kill his parents for him.”

“Oh Merlin’s balls, Gellert!” Arcturus exclaimed. “ _You_ were the friend who offered to kill our parents? Reg wouldn’t tell me who it had been, but it always brought a smile to his face to think about.”

“I almost wish I had. But it delights me to know they’re already dead anyways.”

Arcturus nodded. “Father died in 1952, and Mother died the same year Reg did.”

“What even happened to Regulus?”

Arcturus drew a deep breath. This was going to be a very difficult story to recount, especially to Gellert.

Before he could begin, a cooing sound came from the couch, and both Gellert and Sirius suddenly remembered that Harry and Luna were still there.

Gellert scooped up the babbling Harry in his arms and presented him to his friend. “Arcturus, meet Dorea’s grandson, James’ boy.”

Arcturus gasped. “Merlin, he looks so much like Dorea! I see Charlus in there, but he is definitely part of the Black family.” Then he sighed. “I miss Dorea terribly.”

“Were you close with her?” Sirius asked.

Arcturus pursed his lips. “We were close at one point in our lives, when we were young. She was my favourite cousin. But, among other differences, we were rather divided about the Dark Lord for a long time. When he killed her I began to see how wrong I was, and it only escalated once Junior died.”

Leaning out of Gellert’s arms, Harry reached for Arcturus, being reminded of both his father and of Sirius. “Grampa?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had intended to end this chapter differently, but the backstory just got away from me, and it'll have to wait til next chapter. Sorry ;)  
> Stay safe folks!


	13. His Apology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arcturus Black is certainly an unexpected guest in the Longbottom home, especially on Christmas.

Augusta certainly was not prepared for any of this to happen in her house tonight, but then again, ever since third-year Frank met first-years James Potter and Sirius Black, she was hardly ever prepared for things that happened in her house.

What was the biggest chaos was Ted Tonks, when he saw Arcturus Black step into the dining room behind Gellert about fifty minutes after Arcturus arrived, leaping to his feet with a roar and whipping his wand out to point it at his wife’s first-cousin-twice-removed, quickly followed by his wife herself who silently pointed her wand at Arcturus with a murderous glare that reminded Arcturus of his cousin Pollux, her grandfather.

“You! You horrible, foul, evil –”

“Ted! Please, put your wand down, we can talk, everything can be explained.” Sirius interrupted, putting his arm in front of his grandfather protectively – a move that nobody but Gellert and Arcturus noticed.

“Sirius, this bastard is the reason that Andy isn’t part of her own family anymore, don’t you remember that?!” Ted spat.

“Yes, Ted, I know. I know this better than you do. I also know more than you do. Please put down your wand and we can talk.”

“Not until he apologizes!”

“I’m sorry.” Arcturus surprised everyone by gently pushing Sirius out of the way and stepping towards Ted. “I really am. I let my emotions get the better of me, I let others influence me too much, and I can’t say I’ve ever encountered a decent Muggle in my life, so I was too quick and too harsh to judge the background you came from, Ted.”

Ted looked shocked. He really had never expected an apology from Lord Black himself for the way he had been treated, and for the way Andromeda had been treated. He slowly lowered his wand, still staring at Arcturus in disbelief.

Arcturus turned to Andromeda, who still had her wand raised and still looked furious. “Andromeda, dear…”

“How dare you?” Andromeda yelled. “How dare you come here and act like everything is fine when you let my father treat me like that? And _you_ – ” She turned to Sirius, pointing her wand at him next, and he gulped. “ – just _inviting_ him here like nothing ever happened, like he didn’t let the same thing happen to you, like he hasn’t hurt you just as much, like things are ever going to change –”

“Andy.” Sirius cut her off in a soft voice. “Please let him explain. Please.”

She clenched her jaw and looked at Arcturus. She walked towards him and put the tip of her wand against his chest, making a small burn hole in his robes. “Talk, you bastard.”

Arcturus hastily explained how he had been abused as a child, how he had sworn he would never let something like that happen to the children around him, and how well his cousin and his cousin’s son had hidden it from him, just as his own son had done, even when he became Lord Black. How he had been unwell and easily manipulated since he lost his brother, and how both Cygnus her father and Pollux her grandfather had persuaded him that Ted was a horrible influence, that Andromeda wouldn’t listen to them, how she was bringing disgrace to the Black family name, and had even convinced them that she had denounced the Black family and it was only right to disown her in return.

“I didn’t denounce the Black family.” Andromeda countered angrily. “I would never denounce my family. I still love Cissy, even though she got in with the wrong people. Same with Bella. And I would never cut myself off from my connection to Sirius.”

“I see now that I was very wrong, and very lied to. I have no excuse for any hurt that my behaviour caused, and I am deeply sorry for what has happened to you and to your family.”

Andromeda continued to stare at him for several minutes in the silence that followed, but her gaze became less and less murderous, and more towards a sympathetic expression. 

“Do you want to meet Nymphadora?” She asked hesitantly.

Arcturus nodded, and she finally turned away from him to her ten-year-old daughter, who was sitting at the dining room table doodling on paper with her fingers and hadn’t been paying attention. “Nymphadora, sweetie… this is your cousin Sirius’ grandfather, Arcturus Black.”

“Don’t call me Nymphadora!” The girl stomped her foot indignantly as her hair turned flame red. “I hate being called that! It’s too old lady! I wanna be Dora!”

Arcturus threw his head back in laughter, something that not even Gellert or Sirius had heard in a long time. “She’s a Metamorphmagus, just like her great-aunt Cassiopeia!”

Dora looked at Arcturus with curiosity. “So you’re my cousin’s grandpa? Are you my grandpa too?”

“No, that’s not how –” Andromeda started.

“Do you want me to be?” Arcturus asked her, to the shock of the room.

Dora nodded. “I don’t have a grandpa.”

Arcturus looked at Ted in confusion.

“My parents died while I was in Hogwarts.” He shrugged. “She never knew them.”

“I can be your grandpa if you want, Dora.” Arcturus said to her, and she squealed and ran into his arms. Her hair changed to match his as they hugged, and when she hopped back to her chair, her eyes were the deep gray of a Black family member.

“She started changing hair colours right after she was born.” Ted states to Arcturus. “We could always tell what kind of mood she was in, because her hair would change depending on whether she was hungry or needed a change.”

“Cassiopeia was the same way. Her hair changed colour with her moods constantly, and it was always fun at family gatherings when we were little because she would shift into the grown-ups to mock them.” Arcturus shook his head with a grin. “Grandfather never found it funny, and neither did my parents or most of the other cousins, but Dorea and Cedrella and I loved it.”

“Dorea? Like James’ mother?” Alice asked. 

Arcturus nodded. “She was my favourite cousin growing up. We grew apart and fought a lot about blood supremacy issues, and when she voiced her dislike for the Dark Lord we never spoke again.”

Nobody knew what to say in the vaguely awkward silence that followed, so Alice broke it by saying, “Well, let’s dig in for dinner I suppose!”

* * *

By the time dinner was finished and everyone was done chattering, it was quite late in the evening. The Lovegoods returned home with a promise to come back for New Year’s celebrations, and the Tonks family followed suit, but not without Dora whining that she wanted to stay with her new grandpa. 

“I’ll see you soon, Dora. New Year’s is only a week away.” Arcturus said to the tearful girl.

“Promise?” She sniffed.

“Promise.” He smiled and ruffled her hair.

That was good enough for her, as she turned and followed her parents to the door. They all waved goodbye as they left the wards and disapparated to their own house.

“I suppose we should go now too.” Gellert yawned dramatically, stretching his arms above his head.

“Nonsense.” Augusta waved her hand dismissively as she magically cleaned away the dishes. “You three have to stay until the morning for presents.”

“Presents?” Sirius’ eyes lit up and he grinned boyishly. “I get presents?”

“No, because you’ve been a bad dog.” Frank teased.

Sirius fake-pouted. “I’ve been the _best_ boy.”

“Nope. All the presents are Harry’s. You get coal.” Alice smirked.

“Gellert!” Sirius whined. “They’re taking away my presents!”

“That’s because you’ve been bad.” Gellert stated with a mock shrug.

Sirius looked offended, and Frank and Alice whooped with laughter. Gellert tried to ruffle his hair but Sirius batted his hand away with a grin.

Arcturus stood in silence, watching his grandson interact with his chosen family. His heart hurt to know how much pain the boy had gone through without his grandfather there to protect him, but he was so proud of how far he had gotten even without the guidance he should have had all along.

“Hey, Grandfather, are you staying the night too?”

“I should get home.” Arcturus replied with a shake of his head. “I haven’t been out this long in years and I’m sure Uriel is worried.”

“Who is Uriel?” Alice asked.

“My house elf. He’s been my only companion since Orion died.”

“Oh, Arcturus, please stay.” Augusta requested. “I don’t want you alone on Christmas.”

“I’ve been alone for years, Augusta. Christmas is no different.”

“It should be.” Frank agreed. “Please stay.”

Arcturus looked at Sirius with a bit of anxiety in his eyes. “I don’t know, I –”

“You can stay in the guest room that I use, with me and Harry. There’s an extra bed.” Sirius assured him. 

“If you’re worried about Uriel, you can call him here. We have house elves too.” Frank offered. “Mum just enjoys doing dishes. They do the rest of the cleaning, and most of the cooking.”

Arcturus was silent for a moment, and Sirius could see the panic in his eyes as he made his decision. “I suppose one night is okay.” Arcturus stated finally.

Later that night, as they were all retiring to bed, Sirius sat on his bed, which was next to Harry’s little toddler-sized bed, and thought for the first time in a long time about his father.

He never knew much about his father’s childhood, or about his interests, or anything really, other than his love for blood purity and hatred for Muggles and Muggle-Born wizards or witches. He didn’t even really like witches much, even if they were Pureblood; Orion was always very sexist, and believed women should really only be good for making and raising children. Sirius always assumed that was why he never hit his children himself.

His thoughts were interrupted by Arcturus knocking on the door softly. “Sirius, can I come in?”

“Sure, Grandfather.”

Arcturus entered in his sleepwear, and Sirius was taken aback momentarily by the realization that he had never seen his grandfather in anything other than fancy robes.

“Grandfather…” He started, but he had so much to say that he didn’t know where to begin.

“You must have so many questions, Sirius.” Arcturus responded with a sigh. “I owe you as many answers as you have questions, and then some. I owe you a lot.”

“I’m sorry,” was all Sirius could manage to say at that moment.

“You don’t owe me anything, least of all an apology.” Arcturus shook his head. “I should be apologizing to you.” He looked Sirius in the eyes as he continued. “If you’ll let me be in your life, I will spend the rest of my years making it up to you and showing you that I’m not who you remember me to be, and that I’m not who I was before.”

“I want you to be in my life.” Sirius told him. “I want you to be in Harry’s life. I still don’t know what I’m doing with him. I wasn’t prepared to be a father.”

Arcturus chuckled, to Sirius’ surprise. “Nobody is ever prepared to be a father, boy.”

“What was my father like?” Sirius asked.

Arcturus chuckled again. “He was much like you.”

“Really?” 

“He was a very stubborn boy. He hated anybody telling him what to do, and he hated being just like everybody else.”

Sirius listened to Arcturus tell him about his father, and about his own childhood, for nearly two hours before he fell asleep to the story of when Dorea met Charlus.

Arcturus finally realized that Sirius had fallen asleep a few minutes later, and he smiled to himself as he rolled over and drifted to sleep himself.

Sirius dreamed all night about Marlene, which didn’t surprise him one bit.

His surprise came the next morning over breakfast.

Frank was reading the Daily Prophet as Sirius helped Harry eat his waffles. “There’s been another Death Eater death.”

“Oh no.” Sirius said sarcastically. “How tragic.”

Frank chuckled. “It’s that vigilante woman again. They managed to get a picture this time, and identifier spells on the picture have named her.”

“For real?” Sirius raised his eyebrows as Harry started reaching for his fork himself. “What’s her name?”

“Maria Findgaine. Irish, I guess?”

Sirius dropped Harry’s fork as he dashed towards Frank and his paper.

“Whoa, what is it?” Frank asked.

Sirius didn’t say anything, just tore open the paper and stared at the picture. 

She was masked, and disfigured, and had clearly been through trauma and torment, and to anybody else she would have been unrecognizable.

But to Sirius Orion Black, the face and body of Marlene Meredith McKinnon were etched into his memory forever, and he would know it anywhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be prepared for definitely more twists in this fic. I'm not kidding when I say I plan to blow some minds here!  
> Stay safe!!


	14. Find Her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius decides to enlist some help in finding Marlene.

“Sirius, this doesn’t make any sense. Dumbledore said that You-Know-Who and his followers killed Marlene and her entire family two years ago.”

“Dumbledore has said a lot of things. I know Marlene when I see her, Xenophilius.”

“I don’t doubt it. I would know my Pandora anywhere. And from what I remember of Marlene, it makes perfect sense that she would be going after Death Eaters who haven’t been prosecuted, especially if they’re the reason she looks the way she does. But how is she even alive?”

“I don’t know. But I’m going to find out.”

“Sirius…” Frank started gently.

Frank, Sirius and Augusta were in the Lovegood’s living room with the newspaper in Sirius’ hand, and Sirius was pacing the floor while Frank, Augusta and Xenophilius looked up at him from the couch. Part of Xenophilius was almost worried Sirius would pace a hole in his floor from how distressed he looked, but he also knew that was just an expression and wasn’t based in reality … right?

“Sirius, think about this rationally. If that really is Marlene –”

“It _is_! She _is_! I know Marlene when I see her!” Sirius yelled.

“ – _if_ it is Marlene,” Frank cut him off in a stern voice, and Sirius looked angry. “Why hasn’t she come to us? Why hasn’t she contacted Dumbledore, or you, or somebody? Why would she be in hiding?”

“Maybe she has contacted Dumbledore and he just hasn’t told us.” Xenophilius offered. “When is the last time any of us heard from him anyways?”

“Yesterday.” Frank said bluntly. “He sent Alice a Christmas greeting and specifically left me and Mum out of it. It was rather humorous actually.”

“Can I just get some support here?” Sirius demanded. “I need to find her! I know it’s her!”

“Sirius, I want to help you, but I don’t think it’s her.” Frank stood up. He looked at Augusta. “Mum?”

Augusta looked at her son, then looked back at Sirius’ distressed face. “I think he’s right, Frank.”

“How could it possibly be her?” Frank countered. “She would have spoken to someone by now, wouldn’t she?”

“Who knows what they’ve done to her?” Augusta replied. “Maybe she is too hurt, physically or mentally. Maybe she feels like she can’t speak to anyone.”

“That’s ridiculous.” Frank scoffed. “She would know we’re still here. It doesn’t make any sense that she wouldn’t find us.”

“I don’t care what does or doesn’t make sense.” Sirius cut in. “I’m going to find her, whether or not you help me, Frank.”

Frank looked at Sirius, then sighed. “I’ll help you. I’ll always be there, no matter what, you know that. But I think it’s pointless.”

* * *

Alastor ‘Mad-Eye’ Moody hated office work. If there was ever anything he hated more than someone using the darker sides of magic to harm rather than help people, it was office work.

But here he was, in the office he once shared with Rufus Scrimgeour, doing more paperwork because the new Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Amelia Bones, told everyone under her jurisdiction, especially the Aurors, to essentially ‘re-apply’ for their positions, with new paperwork and a re-assessment of their abilities.

It wasn’t as though Mad-Eye disagreed with that idea. In fact, he thought it was a rather clever plan, mostly to weed out folks who should have retired years ago. Off the top of his head, he could think of several Aurors who ought to not be in the field anymore. There were always consulting positions after all.

And he liked the idea of Rufus Scrimgeour being the new Head Auror, too. Since the idiotic Barty Crouch Senior had been demoted from his position and Amelia Bones had been promoted from Head Auror to take his place, there had been some speculation as to who would take hers. Many people suspected it would be Mad-Eye himself, and he had even been approached for the position. But he had refused, and he had even been the one to recommend Scrimgeour for the position, though Scrimgeour would never know it. He had worked with the man closely for several years and he had respect for Scrimgeour’s boldness, his bluntness, his stubbornness, and his vigilance.

Despite his respect for Scrimgeour and his willingness to carry out Amelia’s plan to its fullest, it was a welcomed interruption when there was a knock on Mad-Eye’s door and one of Scrimgeour’s assistants poked her head in to tell him that he had visitors.

Mad-Eye sat back in his chair, silently appreciating the break for his quill hand, and grumbled for her to let them in.

To his surprise, Frank Longbottom and Sirius Black stepped into his office. It wasn’t necessarily a surprise to see them, as they had seen each other a lot in the last several years, but they both weren’t a fan of coming into the office scene either. Frank hated office work as much as Mad-Eye did when he was still a full-time Auror, and Sirius wasn’t even officially an Auror.

“What can I do for you kids?” Mad-Eye raised an eyebrow at them without getting out of his chair. “And what does it have to do with the Prophet in your pocket?”

Sirius pulled it out and showed him the picture. “You know anything about this?”

“Sure do.” Mad-Eye said with a simple glance. “That’s the woman who’s been killing unprosecuted Death Eaters in her spare time. I wish I was with her, I think they’ve all been let off easy.”

“Sirius thinks it’s Marlene McKinnon for some reason.” Frank stated, and Sirius shot him a glare. “But that’s not possible, right sir?”

“If this is an informal visit, boy, don’t be calling me sir.” Mad-Eye growled at him.

“Sorry, Moody.” Frank nodded. He almost forgot he wasn’t here on Auror business, and he was suddenly reminded that he hadn’t finished the paperwork Owled to him by Scrimgeour yet.

“I suppose it’s possible.” Mad-Eye continued. “We never technically found her.”

“You didn’t?” Frank sounded surprised, but Sirius remained silent.

“No. I was in the party that investigated the McKinnon’s house after the attack, and we found every body except hers. We figured that the Death Eaters had taken her to… Well, do what they do to young women.”

“From the look of the photo, they probably did.” Sirius muttered to nobody in particular.

Mad-Eye looked at the picture again. “What makes you think this is Marlene, boy? It doesn’t much look like her, and that’s not her name, either.”

“But it is! Marlene is technically a blend of two names, one of them being Maria. And McKinnon is a Scottish name, Anglicised from Mac Fhionghuin, but the Irish translation is Findgaine. Marlene always told me that if she could change her name, it would be Maria. And her mother is Irish, so if she was going to re-translate her name she would use something that was close to her. She’s doing this because she wants to be found. She wants me to find her. I know it!”

“Slow down, Sirius. If she wanted you to find her so badly, she would have come to find you. Merlin knows you’ve been in the Prophet enough yourself, or Gellert, or Harry, or all of you.” Frank pointed out. “She would have no problem figuring out where to look, since she knows where your house is.”

“She might not know she wants me to find her. Maybe she’s doing it subconsciously. Maybe Mum is right and she’s feeling self-conscious about how different she looks –”

“Did you just call my mother ‘Mum’?”

“ – and maybe she wants help with what she’s doing, and maybe she wants me to come find her so that we can do it together –” Sirius ignored Frank, or perhaps didn’t hear him at all.

“Sirius.” Mad-Eye interrupted his ramble in a stern tone. “You’re speaking a whole bundle of nonsense right now. But if you think it’s her, I can help you find her.”

“Please?” Sirius asked with wide eyes. “I need to find her. I need to see her. I know it’s her, I just know it’s her, please –”

“Boy, I just said I’d do it, don’t make me change my mind.” Mad-Eye gritted his teeth. “I’ll get Shacklebolt to assist me. Do you or do you not want Rufus Scrimgeour in on this? I can keep it outside his knowledge if you want me to.”

Sirius hesitated so briefly that nobody really took notice. “Yes. I trust him.”

Mad-Eye nodded. “Good. It’s easier when you trust the wizard in charge. I trust Scrimgeour more than I trusted Crouch. And it’ll be easier to find her if I get his permission to use office time to search.”

Sirius nearly burst into tears. “Thank you, Moody. You have no idea –”

“I understand this better than you think I do, Sirius. I know what it’s like to lose someone.”

Sirius could only nod; he didn’t know much about Mad-Eye’s early life or personal life, and neither did almost anybody else. He had no idea to whom Mad-Eye was referring, and he had a feeling that now was not the time to ask.

Mad-Eye stood up, his magical blue eye fixated on his office door. “It’s nearly time for my break, and Scrimgeour is coming to talk to me anyways. If you two choose to stay, you can tell Scrimgeour about your situation yourselves.”

Sirius nodded again. “I think we should.” He stepped away from being directly in front of the door just as he and Frank heard the heavy footfalls of the Head Auror.

As Scrimgeour stepped in, surprised to see more than just Mad-Eye in the office, and Sirius eagerly greeted him, Frank leaned down to Mad-Eye to whisper quickly. “Do you really believe him that it’s Marlene?”

“Not the time, Frank. And yes, I do.”

Frank sighed as Sirius launched into his wild theory to the Head Auror. To his surprise, Scrimgeour looked intrigued, as though he was swallowing up everything that Sirius was saying.

“We’ll look into it, I promise, Sirius. Mad-Eye, are you willing to take a team on this?” Scrimgeour asked.

Mad-Eye nodded. “I want Shacklebolt.”

“He’s been doing a lot of missions lately, since he was the first one to get his paperwork back to me, but I’ll talk to him. Anyone else?”

He glanced at Frank. “Longbottom?”

Instead of looking at Scrimgeour or Mad-Eye, Frank looked at Sirius as he nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“I’m going to need your paperwork by tomorrow morning if you’re going to be doing this heavy of a mission, gentlemen.” Scrimgeour turned to Sirius. “And if you decide you do want to become an official Auror, let me know, Sirius. We’d be happy to have you.”

Sirius would have flushed had he not already known that Scrimgeour thought more highly of him than he deserved because he was a Black. “Of course, sir.”

Scrimgeour’s eyes crinkled at the sides as he smirked. “You don’t work for me yet, so there’s no need to call me sir.” He looked at the paper one more time. “If you really believe this is Marlene, then I believe you. I know you two were close. We’ll find her, Sirius.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the last chapter might have been a bit confusing but it will all make sense soon, I hope! Stay safe folks.


	15. Her Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marlene McKinnon reflects on what has lead her to where she is now, when her thoughts are interrupted.

The little cabin she had taken refuge in was anything but home for her. She had become wary of the dark after everything that had happened, and no matter how many candles and lanterns she lit the cabin still felt dark. It was foreign and uncomfortable, and she was always cold. But it was better than the basement of Malfoy Manor where she had been for who knows how long.

Of course she knew how long. She was there for three months and eighteen days. She was released on November 2nd, 1981, two days after Voldemort’s death, when the Malfoys decided that it was easier to just get rid of her than to explain her presence in their house to the Ministry officials who would come to investigate to see just how valid Lucius’ claim was that he was Imperiused the whole time he was working with Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

Did she believe it? Not in the slightest. It disgusted her how many Death Eaters were walking free after so many years of their torture towards Muggleborns, friends of Muggleborns, Muggles, Half-Bloods… anybody they deemed less than perfect. 

That’s why she’d taken it upon herself to do something about it on her own. If the Aurors weren’t going to take them down, she would, or die trying.

She knew that the Aurors themselves had their hands tied by the law. She knew that there were certainly Aurors who would join her escapade if they were able to. Mad-Eye, for instance, would applaud her. He probably was, both silently and not-so-silently. He was always very crass and never hesitated to speak his mind. It was something she always admired about him.

She wondered how he was doing. She frequently wondered how they were all doing. Especially Sirius. 

Sometimes she would consider writing to him, or trying to see him, but she knew it would be a horrible idea. Just look at her…

She stood in front of the dusty mirror above the sink, staring at her reflection. So many things had been done to her that she felt unrecognizable.

Her nose had become permanently crooked, thanks to Rodolphus Lestrange. He was offended that she had the nerve to talk back to Bellatrix early on in her stay at Malfoy Manor, and instead of using magic against her had just punched her in the face, breaking her nose and making her bleed everywhere. The Lestranges had laughed endlessly about it, and nobody ever fixed what was done to her. The closest anyone had come to caring for her was when Narcissa cleaned up her blood and made sure she ate food. She hadn’t gone to St. Mungo’s after she was let go, and she no longer cared enough to fix it herself.

Her left eye was scarred to the point that she could barely see out of it. That one was Bellatrix, who had cast a Cruciatus curse directly at her face and it had hit her square in the eye. Not to mention the broken glass that it had been exposed to over and over again.

Her hair was finally starting to grow back, but it was chunky. That one was Voldemort himself, who experimented on her with new spells he wanted to use. Some of them had their intended affects, like the one that made her lungs fill with blood, but some of them made her body react in ways that made the Dark Lord simply hum in disappointment and try again another time. The complete loss of her hair was one of those times, and it had never grown back. 

She cried herself to sleep every night in the Manor, but that night was the worst. She had always been so proud of her hair. Curly and beautiful and the envy of all the girls in her year at Hogwarts. Sirius loved playing with it when they were alone together.

Sirius…

Sirius would never love her again. Not like before. She was too broken, too ugly, too far gone. Bellatrix had told her as much, for endless weeks while shoving her face into a broken mirror. She didn’t want to believe her, but now she didn’t see any way that Bellatrix could be wrong. She was indeed too broken, too ugly, and too far gone. She didn’t have her gorgeous red hair, she didn’t have her striking hazel eyes, and even her freckles didn’t look the same.

She couldn’t go back. She didn’t deserve Sirius anymore. He didn’t deserve what she had become. 

Besides, does he even miss her?

* * *

“Sirius!”

Sirius was startled out of his nap by the loud sound of Frank bursting into his room. “Merlin’s bloody trousers, Frank, what do you want?” He growled after stowing away the wand he reflexively pulled out.

“We found her!”

Any irritation Sirius had at the interruption was instantly gone. “Marlene?”

“We think so. We found where she’s been, and we want you to come with when we go.”

“Are we going right now?”

“Mad-Eye said whenever you want us to.”

Sirius didn’t even hesitate. “Right now.”

“I thought so. We’re already ready.” Frank grinned.

* * *

A knock on her door almost sent her spiralling into a panic attack, but all her training under Mad-Eye, hoping like Sirius to become an Auror, instead sent her into her ‘fight’ mode, and she leapt towards the door from her uncomfortable chair with her wand drawn. 

She figured that Death Eaters wouldn’t just come knocking on her door. In fact, she was fairly certain it would not be Death Eaters. She feared more that it was the Ministry, or the Order, or…

“Marlene?”

A familiar voice called through the closed door, and she nearly vomited at the sound of it. “That’s not my name!” She yelled in return.

There was a moment of silence before the voice responded. “Apologies. Maria?”

She hesitated before she blasted the door open with her wand, uncaring as to who she might hit with it.

The person on the other side seemed surprised enough to raise their eyebrows, but altogether unfazed by her choice to explode the door. “May I come in?” They asked calmly.

“What makes you think I want to talk to you?”

“I understand why you may not. But there are things we should discuss.”

“Like what?” She snarled, but she took a step backwards.

The person took a step forwards towards her threshold. “Like your fiancé, Sirius Black?”

“What about him?” She took a step forwards instead, hoping to scare the person away, but they didn’t budge. “I don’t want to hear anything you have to say about him!”

“You will. He’s been raising Harry, and with the help of Gellert Grindelwald.”

“I read the news.” She spat. “I don’t care what he does.”

“You would care to know that he’s been brainwashed and Imperiused by Gellert into thinking that he’s never done anything wrong, and that he’s plotting against the Order. Now please, may I come in?”

She hesitated before lowering her wand. “Make it quick, Professor Dumbledore.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kind of a two-part chapter, so the other one will be up by the end of Sunday.   
> Stay safe folks!!


	16. Lost Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius and the Aurors accompanying him have finally found where Marlene has been staying. But there's an unexpected guest waiting there.

“We’re here.” Kingsley said simply, gesturing to a small, run-down cabin about a hundred metres ahead of them. “This is where she’s been staying, according to what we’ve found.”

“Why here?” Frank wondered out loud.

“The O’Connell family owns this property, and that was her mother’s maiden name.” Mad-Eye responded. “It hasn’t been used in years though.”

“Are you sure she’s here?” Frank asked Kingsley as they approached it.

He nodded. “As sure as I can be.”

Mad-Eye was the first one to notice the distinct lack of a door, and that said door was laying on the grass in front of the house. He instantly whipped out his wand, and without hesitation the others followed his cue.

“What’s – oh.” Frank stopped himself as he noticed the door.

“There’s someone in there.” Mad-Eye said, and as they got closer he cursed under his breath. “It’s Albus.”

Sirius roared in anger, and before any of the others could stop him he dashed towards the cabin with his wand raised.

“Marlene!” He yelled as he crossed the threshold, instantly pointing his wand at Dumbledore. 

“Sirius?!” She jumped up out of her seat, and she drew her wand out of instinct. “What in the bloody hell – how did you find me?!” She noticed Mad-Eye at the door behind him. “Nevermind.” She scoffed with half a grin. “Hello, Mad-Eye.”

“Good to see you, McKinnon. Wish I could say the same to you, Albus.” Mad-Eye growled as he stepped in, with his wand aimed the same direction as Sirius’.

“Alastor, please. After all we’ve been through together, you’re choosing the wrong side of things.” Dumbledore hardly flinched at the noises and the wands pointed at him; rather, he kept his hands folded in his lap and didn’t move.

“Wrong side? You’re calling your attempt to kidnap my Godson and your decades of lies about his heritage and Gellert’s actions a ‘side’, like we’re some sort of dark force waging war against you?” Sirius countered.

“Gellert has corrupted your mind, Sirius. See what I mean, Maria?”

“Gellert has done nothing of the sort. He’s told me the truth, something you’ve never done.”

“I’ve never lied to you, Sirius.”

“You haven’t?” Sirius laughed coldly. “Tell me then. Why is it that I distinctly remember you telling me that my brother was murdered by Aurors?”

“Regulus was killed in the line of duty. He chose his side.” Dumbledore responded dismissively.

“Liar!” Sirius screamed, and he took several steps forward to point his wand directly into Dumbledore’s face. “Voldemort killed him himself! He tried to get out! You knew that, and you lied to me!”

“Where did you hear that?” Dumbledore looked surprised, but he still didn’t get up or look away from Sirius’ face, even as Kingsley and Frank entered the room with their wands pointed at him too.

“Barty Crouch Junior told me before he died. Bellatrix killed him in front of me for trying to desert them while they were attacking us at the Longbottoms’.” Sirius’ voice cracked. “They were children, Dumbledore. They didn’t understand what was going on until it was too late. They tried to get out.”

“And this is why I gave the order to not use lethal spells.” Dumbledore shrugged, avoiding the rest of what Sirius said. “Everybody deserves a second chance.”

Marlene and Mad-Eye both scoffed at that. 

“That’s a pile of dragon dung and you know it, Albus.” Mad-Eye retorted.

“I didn’t go through everything I went through in the basement of the Malfoys just for them to get off with a slap on the wrist.” Marlene said darkly.

Everyone looked at her with wide eyes, but her gaze was fixed angrily on Dumbledore. 

“I couldn’t possibly care less whether or not Lucius Malfoy says he was under the Imperius curse. I don’t believe him for a damned moment. And the rest of those Death Eater supporting assholes who thought they could get away with what they did to Muggleborns and their supporters, the ones I’ve killed and the ones I’ve yet to kill, can burn in hell. I don’t believe in second chances for people like that.”

Dumbledore was silent as he stared at Marlene. “I’m so sorry for whatever they did to you.” He finally said in an irritatingly calm voice. “But killing people in revenge isn’t the answer –”

“ _Bullshit_!” She yelled, and the rest of them could see sparks on her fingers. “I don’t expect some prat like _you_ to understand what they did to me. I would never tell you even though I’m sure I’d love to traumatize the living hell out of you by going into detail. You’ve never had everything taken away from you like this –”

Suddenly Dumbledore rose to his feet with an enraged expression on his face. “Don’t you ever dare assume you know what has and hasn’t been taken away from me. You have no idea what has happened to me in my life. You have no idea what I’ve lost!”

“It’s nothing compared to what you’ve taken away from everybody else.” Sirius cut in, and Dumbledore looked at him murderously. “Gellert told me what you did to his son and daughter-in-law, and how you framed him for his own wife’s murder, and there’s so much more that you’ve done that you’ve blamed on other people. I’m surprised nobody has convicted you for that crap yet.”

“I have power, Sirius. I have connections and people and there’s nothing you or Gellert or anybody can do to stop me.” Dumbledore responded angrily. “If you want to bring me down, I dare you to try.”

“You don’t want that.” 

Everyone turned to look at Kingsley, who looked just as angry as Dumbledore.

“Professor Dumbledore, I assure you, you don’t want that. We haven’t done much to you in these last few years because we believed that the children and staff of Hogwarts needed you. But you’re a threat, Dumbledore. If we want to bring you down, I assure you, we will.”

“You couldn’t possibly.” Dumbledore snarled, but there was fear in his bright blue eyes as he spoke.

“If I say one word of any of this conversation or anything else I know about you to Amelia Bones, we could take you down quite easily.” Mad-Eye threatened.

Dumbledore reached for his wand, but the reflexes of three Aurors and two almost-Aurors were far faster than he anticipated, and he was instantly disarmed.

“And now you’ve attempted to attack a Senior Auror.” Kingsley stated in a dark matter-of-fact tone, and he sent a powerful stunning charm at the Headmaster.

Dumbledore fell to his knees, but he was still conscious. He wordlessly cast a tripping jinx on Kingsley, who indeed tripped. 

Sirius cast a Stunner at Dumbledore’s chest, instinct causing him to try to protect his friends, but he was not expecting to see that he had been hit with two Stunners at once. He looked in surprise over at Marlene, who was also pointing her wand directly at Dumbledore’s chest. She looked back at him briefly but looked back at Dumbledore’s unconscious body with a flush across her face.

“I guess we have to bring him in now.” Mad-Eye grunted. “I was not looking forward to the day we had to bring Albus down.”

“I don’t like it either, but I suppose that’s what happens when you do what he did for so long, thinking that you’re immune to consequences.” Frank sighed. “I don’t know what Hogwarts is going to do without him.”

Sirius lowered his wand and stepped towards Marlene, looking at her fully for the first time. “Marlene…?”

She didn’t respond, or even look at him. Her gaze was still fixated on Dumbledore and her eyes were filling with tears, but she had lowered her own wand as well.

“Marlene, sweetheart, look at me.” He pleaded, reaching for her hand.

She flinched away from him. “Please don’t touch me. Don’t look at me. Stay away!”

Sirius was shocked. “What…?”

“You don’t want me. You can’t want me. I’m not who you think I am anymore.”

“I do want you.” He responded in a hurt voice. “I’ve always wanted you. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since we were eleven. I love you.”

“You don’t!” She screamed, and she turned to face him entirely. She gestured to her face, and to the scars on her arms and neck. “Look at me! How could you love me? I can’t be loved anymore! I’m not me! I can’t be me!”

“Of course you’re you, and of course I love you. How you look doesn’t change that.” His voice cracked for the second time in an hour, and he reached a hand out to her. “Please, Marlene, come home with me.”

“I can’t.” She started to cry, and she sank to her knees with her face in her hands. “I can’t.”

He approached her and crouched in front of her. “You can… Marlene, I want you to come home with me.” When she didn’t respond, he sighed. “It doesn’t feel like home without you. I haven’t slept through the night since you’ve been gone. When I found out you were still alive, I couldn’t stop crying out of relief. I need you, Marlene. You’re everything to me.”

“They broke me.” She cried. “They broke me and I can’t be fixed.”

“I can’t be fixed either.” He responded sadly. He stood up, and she finally looked at him as he stuck his hand out for her to take. “But we can be broken together.”

She hesitated for a moment before putting her hand in his. He pulled her up and into a hug, and she sobbed into his shoulder, feeling safe for the first time in two years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this finally an almost-happy end to a chapter? In one of my fics? Whoa, what's going on? ;)  
> Stay safe, and wash your hands!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Be safe and healthy, and have a great day!


End file.
